To Repel and Attract
by Dracopest
Summary: When Izuku garners a quirk from his mother's blood, Inko does her best to repay her initial lack of faith and help him achieve his dreams.
1. Chapter 1

To Repel and Attract

Chapter 1: Don't Cry Mom

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to My Hero Academia**

 **A/N:** So this story came about from me reading through a number of MHA fics and noticing that there weren't any with this premise. Which I thought was rather odd. Maybe it's how small the number of fics is or maybe it's something else. Either way this is going off of two separate assumptions that are neither confirmed nor denied in the manga or anime as of yet. At least as far as I've seen and if they have been then I still don't care. Those two assumptions are as follows. 1. A quirk inherited is not necessarily the same as the one the parent has. Ingenium and Iida have similar quirks but not the same. 2. A quirk can be strengthened and matured over time. Bakugo was making sparks at 4 and lighting malls ablaze in a matter of minutes ten years later. If either of those bother you then feel free to consider this AU. Now that that's out of the way, on with the show!

 **Additional A/N:** As of 3/10/19 there are of course plenty of stories with this premise but at the initial point of publish that wasn't as much the case.

A barrage of raindrops thumped in rapid succession against the windows, and Inko Midoriya had never been more grateful for a rainy day. It muffled her tears and broken sobs. She didn't want to wake Izuku, his day had been hard enough and she knew she had made it worse. The trip to the doctor's office had been heartbreaking, Inko knew how much being a hero meant to her son. To have that dream crushed so soundly had left the boy wide eyed and silent for the rest of the day.

 _"And then I had to go and make it so much worse. I'm so sorry Izuku, I had hoped that you might've gotten my quirk or maybe even your father's. I'm so sorry that I couldn't tell you to go for your dream. But I can't bear the thought of you being defenseless against the monsters you'd face as a hero."_ Holding her head in her hands a fresh wave of tears broke through.

This had certainly not been a good day. She still hadn't called Hisashi but frankly she wasn't sure she wanted to. Things had not been going well and she had suspicions that she didn't want to act on until she had proof. The last time Hisashi had called had been over a month ago. It seemed life was out to kick her down lately.

xxx

Izuku Midoriya stared at the screen, his big green eyes swimming with tears as he watched his idol. It wasn't fair, he wanted to be a hero. Sitting in an office chair that seemed to swallow him and holding his All Might action figure tight, Izuku lamented the day's events.

 _"Why don't I have a quirk? I don't know anyone that doesn't have a quirk. Mom has a quirk and so does Dad. He lit the candles on my birthday cake! Mom is always picking things up around the house with her quirk. What does my pinky toe have to do with it? Why doesn't Mom think I can be a hero?"_ A steady stream of tears were soon accompanied by a hiccup, and the snot dribbling down his face was beginning to be a problem for the distraught child.

Rubbing his eyes, Izuku stood shakily to reach for a box of tissues on the desk. The chair wobbled beneath him and as he leant forward the wheels rolled back. He gasped and reached for the desk to steady himself. In the process he dropped his action figure. Grabbing a tissue he looked down to his toy. Sniffling he tried to reach down and grab his favored comfort object. His short arms just couldn't reach it though, and he didn't want to get down. He couldn't get back in the chair on his own and he didn't want to ask his Mother. She had been so sad when she left the room and he was still hurt that she hadn't had any faith in him.

 _"I can't even reach my toy. Maybe the doctor was right. Maybe Mom was right. I wish things were different too Mommy."_ Closing his eyes against the stinging tears, he reached for the All Might toy.

" _I just want to be a hero, I just want to help people like All Might does. But I can't even help myself!"_ The hiccupping started anew and he focused on the figure trying to reach it.

In that moment he felt something inside him, a kind of pressure in his little palm. Almost like a sticker was in the middle of his hand. It seemed to shoot forward, aiming from his palm to All Might on the ground. When this strange feeling reached the toy, it latched on, making another sticker. His curly haired little head tilted to the side as he felt this odd sensation. He pulled his hand back in uncertainty and the stickers seemed to pull as well. With a slap against his palm the All Might was back in his hand.

With eyes as big as dinner plates Izuku stared at his hand and then at the toy. He looked for that feeling and after a minute felt another sticker. His shock kept him from comprehending what had just happened. He moved to push the chair back to get down. When he reached for the desk in that moment he made another sticker on it and when pushing back, the sticker pushed back too. He fell back into the chair as it was sent scooting back into the middle of the room, much farther than what he had intended with his own push.

Now Izuku was truly in awe and began to cry once more. Laughter accompanied these tears though and he began to grasp what had just happened.

" _This is great! I have to show Mom! I have a quirk!"_ His little legs moving too fast, Izuku's sock laden little feet almost slipped out from under him on the hardwood floor as he rushed to show his mother this new discovery.

xxx

Inko was sprawled on the couch, her face buried in a pillow. She was exhausted and the small sea of tissues around her showed that she had spent the better part of the previous hour crying her eyes out. Her head lifted a smidge when she heard the patter of little feet headed into the living room. She hoped Izuku would forgive her. Maybe he was hungry and she could make him a late snack. Something warm and comforting might help her too.

She expected to see her little boy crying still, maybe with even a little snot running down his chin. While both of those were present she wasn't expecting the smile that joined them. Inko propped herself up to greet the grinning rascal. Forcing a small grin of her own on her face and rubbed her eyes.

"Mom, mom! I have a quirk like you Mom!" The excitement on his little face was so adorable that it brought fresh tears to her eyes. Pretending to have a quirk wouldn't help him but she would play along. Just for tonight.

"Do you now? What kind of quirk do you have my little hero?" It hurt her to give him false hope, but she couldn't make herself bring him down any further.

"Like I said Mommy, it's like yours! Watch this!" Looking around Izuku found one of the tissue boxes on the coffee table. Reaching forward he grasped at the box and pulled it to him, the box flew across the room and slapped into his waiting palm.

Inko moved a hand to hide her gasping mouth. Fresh tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. It was too good to be true but she had seen it with her own eyes. Getting up from the couch, stumbling over her own feet, she rushed to her son. Scooping him up in her arms she held him close. Crying freely now Inko kissed all over her son's little face.

"I'm so happy for you sweetheart! I can't believe it you have a quirk. *sniffle* Oh my baby! I'm so sorry about before, I was wrong. If you want to be a hero then I believe you can be a hero!" She squeezed him close as the waterworks started up anew.

If it was possible Izuku's grin grew even wider and he hugged his mother back. Leaning back after a moment he held up the tissue box.

"Do you need a tissue, Mommy?"

A watery grin was followed by broken laugh as Inko took a tissue from the box.

"My sweet little hero. Already looking out for others huh? You really will be a great hero." Inko picked up her son and headed to the kitchen.

"This calls for a celebration! How about you give me a sec and I'll make a snack for us?"

The cries of joy in agreement rang through the night sounding a bell that heralded a new hero being born.


	2. Chapter 2

To Repel and Attract

Chapter 2: What Did You Say?

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to My Hero Academia**

Inko Midoriya was woken by a shattering sound coming from the kitchen. A soft wail soon followed. Leaping out of bed she rushed out of her room, her face distraught at the sound of her child crying. Leaving her room she found Izuku clutching his hand and broken bowl pieces scattered all over the floor. Inko practically slid across the floor to reach her baby and make sure he was alright.

"Oh my gosh! Honey are you alright? Baby let me see, let mommy see." Worrying over Izuku's hand she saw a large cut but couldn't find any pieces of the bowl lodged in his hand.

 _"Still this might need some stitches. Ooh we need to go to the hospital. First aid kit first and then we go. What happened though?"_

"Izuku look at Mommy sweetheart. It'll be alright, I'm going to wrap this up and then we're going to hospital to make sure this gets fixed up, ok?" When Izuku's shaking little head bobbed up and down, she went to the cabinet and grabbed the kit off the shelf.

Coming back from the cabinet she held Izuku's wrist and applied some antiseptic spray before wrapping it with gauze. As soon as Inko finished doing that she picked up her son, grabbed her purse, threw on some slippers, and rushed him out the door and down the stairs. Normally she wouldn't wave down a cab but this was important and she was quick to hop into the back of one when it stopped upon her flagging it down. The cab driver was an older man with what looked like three crosses on his head.

"Ummm where to Miss?" The cab driver looked thrown off by something, though Inko just assumed it was the child with tears running down his face.

"Musutafu General and please be quick. My son cut his hand and it looks deep." Inko was so focused on her son she didn't notice the odd look the driver was giving her.

The driver took a peek at the boy in the woman's arms and a look of comprehension crossed his face. Nodding his head he looked forward and began to pull out onto the road.

"Alright Miss, no worries I'll get you there as fast as I can. Buckle up please."

Following the drivers request she placed a seat belt around Izuku and herself. Izuku had stopped crying at this point and was just holding his hand and biting his lip. Inko still had no idea what had happened though.

"Izuku honey, can you tell Mommy what happened? How did you hurt your hand?"

Izuku's head turned to the side and he gave a little shrug. Inko knew this tactic though. It was rare that Izuku did it, but if he thought he would get in trouble for something he would try and plead ignorance. It happened most often when he did something he knew his mother considered too dangerous. Her brows furrowed a little in frustration.

"Izuku, I need you to look at me and tell me what happened. I promise I won't get mad. You still want to be a hero right? Well heroes shouldn't lie. Especially to their Mothers." She leant down and placed her hand underneath Izuku's chin and pushed his head up with her finger. Looking at his mother Izuku began to tear up a little.

"I just wanted to get the bowls down with my quirk for breakfast. But when I pulled the first one down it moved too fast and broke on my hand. I'm sorry Mommy I didn't mean to break the bowl."

Inko blinked for a moment. A tired smile broke across her face as she shook her head at her silly little boy. He actually thought she would be mad about the bowl. She wasn't the only one who found the whole thing amusing though. The cab driver having heard the whole thing, laughed up front.

"Just got your quirk then, huh little man? Don't worry about it too much. Accidents happen and most kids end up breakin something when they first find out about their quirks. Heck I remember my oldest when he got his slip quirk tried to race around the house and ended up busting his head open on the kitchen table. Wasn't funny at the time but you learn to look back and laugh."

The story got a grin out of little Izuku. He was glad that it wasn't just him that messed up with his quirk. He was upset that he had broken the bowl and embarrassed that he had to go to the hospital.

Inko was grateful for the driver's words, they appeared to have taken Izuku's mind off the cut. She was also happy to know that this was a rather common occurrence. She only vaguely remembered being scolded as a small child for breaking things when she was working out her quirk.

xxx

Roughly fifteen minutes later they arrived at the hospital. Pulling out Izuku from the taxi, Inko turned back to the driver to ask what the fare was. The moment she did though he waved her off.

"I've been there Miss. I remember that panic and the rush to make sure they're ok. You just get him taken care of. Besides everyone wants to be a hero these days. Figure I can have my own little heroic moment. You two have a good day and I hope you get better little man."

After thanking the man for his generosity Inko walked into the hospital and went hurriedly to the urgent care. Filling out a sheet and taking a seat, the room was thankfully empty for the most part. It wasn't long before they were in an examining room. Placing Izuku on the examining table they were told a nurse would be there soon. A taller woman with a cat quirk of some kind, if the ears were any indication, came to see them not long after.

"Let's see here. Looks like we had a little bit of an accident did we? No worries kiddo, you aren't the first we've seen this week. Doubt you'll be the last. Now let's take a look at that hand." Crouching down a bit to get to eye level she held her own hand out towards her young patient.

Izuku blushed as he shyly placed his hand in the admittedly pretty nurse's hand. He flinched a bit as she carefully unwound the gauze and got a good look at the cut.

"Good news little man, I don't think you'll need stitches but we'll go ahead and apply a skin adhesive to help everything heal a little faster. You're a real trooper though, I know a lot of kids would be in here crying from a cut like that." Grinning at the little boy she stood up and patted his head.

Izuku blushed even harder and puffed his chest out just a little bit. His mother sat to the side and hid a grin with her hand. The nurse herself chuckled a bit and turned to Inko.

"I'm going to get the adhesive and I'll be back in a moment. Do you have any questions, any concerns?" Turning to the nurse Inko thought for a moment before she came upon a question she wanted to ask.

"Not in regards to the cut but is Doctor Urahara in? I wanted to speak to him about Izuku's quirk." Best to get to the bottom of this now.

"I'll take a look for you Mrs. Midoriya. Give me just a minute and I'll be back."

After the nurse left Izuku sat dangling his legs from the examining table as Inko gave her work a call to let them know that she wouldn't be able to come in that day. By the time she got off the phone the nurse had returned to the room. The nurse applied the adhesive to the cut and explained the care that would need to go into maintaining it for the next week.

"Doctor Urahara is in and he said to tell you that he would be down here in about fifteen minutes. He sounded pretty surprised when I mentioned you being here about your son's quirk. But you'll be fine sweetheart and be careful with that quirk. I don't want to see you back here any time soon. Ok?" Patting his curly little head once more as he bobbed it up and down in concurrence with her request.

"Oh and Mrs. Midoriya I was wondering if you could tell me where you got those All Might pajamas? They're rather cute." It took a moment for the comment to register with Inko before she looked down and her whole face turned red. While they weren't in any way revealing she had just traipsed about the whole city in her pajamas. Now Izuku hid a grin from his mother behind his little hand.

Xxx

Not long after the older doctor that had delivered devastating news to the two Midoriyas just yesterday walked through the door.

"Mrs. Midoriya, I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon. Now what's this I hear about young Izuku's quirk? I don't mean to be insensitive but are you sure this wasn't just wishful thinking?" Doctor Urahara's eyebrow was cocked in doubt.

Inko's lips pursed in aggravation. She could understand his doubt but she didn't appreciate it. Reaching into her purse she pulled out her wallet and placed it on her lap.

"Izuku show Doctor Urahara what you showed me last night. Just be sure to use your hand that's not hurt." Giving her son an encouraging smile.

Izuku reached his arm out with his mother and the doctor watching on. He was a little nervous with people watching him this intently. But he reached out for the same feeling and with a little grunt pulled the wallet slapping back into his hand.

Doctor Urahara's jaw just dropped. A satisfied grin spread across Inko's face. She couldn't do that, but it was obviously a stronger variant of her own quirk. It filled her whole body with warmth knowing that she had been able to pass on something that her baby could use to fulfill his dream. A quirk that brought that blinding little grin to his face.

"I did it Mommy! Did you see? Did you see?! I did it! Oh and watch what else I can do!" With a jump to his feet and the wallet in hand he seemed to concentrate once more and sent the wallet back to his mother.

Thankfully his aim was off a little as the wallet went whizzing through the air and smashed into the drywall. Inko's eyes got fairly big and Izuku's face was frozen.

"Oops, I'm sorry Mommy. I didn't mean to make it go so fast." Izuku's head dropped and he stared at his feet.

Meanwhile the Doctor had gotten a hold of himself and sweat dropped at the now embedded wallet. Pulling up a chair he sat down for what was going to be an interesting conversation.

"Now isn't that just something. Never thought I'd see a case of this outside of medical studies. So, as we have just seen young Izuku does indeed have a quirk." The good doctor began his explanation only to be cut off by Inko.

"Yes but yesterday you said that he didn't and wouldn't have a quirk. So why would you tell us that?" A small glare leveled at the doctor. The man in question raised his hands in a placating fashion trying to diffuse the woman's wrath.

"Woah now hold on a minute. I admit that what I said yesterday definitely was intended to come across that way, but if you remember I said that your son should "probably give up being a hero" and that it was "safe to say based on research that he wouldn't develop a quirk". Very rarely is anything one hundred percent in the medical field. Especially when it comes to the subject of quirks. What we have here is an extraordinarily rare case. The extra joint is the easiest way to determine whether or not a person is quirkless but it isn't foolproof. One in every twenty thousand individuals that have two joints in their pinky toe still exhibit quirks. Sometimes they show up later in that individual's life and sometimes, like with Izuku, they manifest at the same time as single joint children. But the odds of that happening are extremely low. I would never have brought it up with you because of how rare this occurrence is, I mean we're talking about a one in a hundred thousand chance shot. It would have been cruel of me to bring up something that was so unlikely to occur. I hope you understand. I am very happy to see that little Izuku here has in fact manifested a quirk. I would be happy to run some blood work if you like but given the hole in the wall I am fairly certain that we already have confirmation of the existence of your son's quirk." The long winded speech aside Inko was ecstatic to know her son had beaten the odds. Being reminded of the hole in the wall however….

"Thank you so much for clearing that up. I was clueless as to what exactly had happened. I am so sorry about the hole in the wall. I'll reimburse you for the damages, of course." Her head hanging low in thinking about the day her son's quirk had brought about. Still it was worth it if it meant keeping that smile on his face.

Turning to look at the hole in the wall Doctor Urahara sighed. It really wasn't a big deal but the hospital could make it out to be a bigger hassle than it actually was if a patient was involved.

"Don't worry about it, I'll tell them that I slipped or something. The hospital won't even look twice. Now why don't you two head on home. I think that Izuku there maybe needs to practice with his quirk a bit. Might I suggest pillows however if you're going to practice inside?" Inko nodded while rubbing the back of her head nervously.

xxx

Forty five embarrassing, public pajama clad minutes later the two Midoriyas were back at the apartment. A quick promise to not use his quirk until later and Inko set to cleaning up the kitchen, taking a shower and changing into something more socially acceptable to wear in public. Once all that was done and they had something to eat, Inko agreed to practicing with her son's quirk.

"Alright Izuku here's what we're going to do. We're going to take the couch pillows and you're going to practice moving them from the kitchen table to the couch. Ok?" Izuku of course was nodding his head along at rapid speed. Bouncing around his mother, he couldn't wait to use his quirk.

"So first let's practice the push part of your quirk. Soft or not I would rather we didn't send pillows flying at you." Inko placed a few pillows on the kitchen table and then Izuku on a chair at the table. Her son's excitement was contagious and the smile on his face was quickly matched by her own.

"Alright little hero, the ship is sinking and you need to throw the people to safety!"

With that kind of encouragement the little boy couldn't help but give a shout and promptly fire off the plush couch bound missile. One sticker in the palm and another to the pillow, followed by a push. Off the pillow went, zooming to the couch.

While Izuku played with his new quirk, Inko watched closely to see how it worked. It looked like he was pushing the pillow and his quirk just sent it fly forward but she couldn't tell what the process was.

"Izuku what does your quirk feel like when you use it?" Inko's question brought Izuku out of his revelry.

"What do you mean Mommy?" To be fair that question was rather broad for a five year old to really grasp. Inko placed a finger to her chin as she thought on how to explain her question.

"I mean when you use it does it remind of some other feeling? Like when I use my quirk it kind of feels like I'm sweeping something towards me. I have to make more sweeps the farther away the thing is. So does it maybe feel something like that?" Inko hoped she got her point across that time. Izuku's little head tilted to the side and scrunched up his face in thought.

"It feels like a sticker. I make one sticker in my palm and then I place another sticker on something else. Then I push or pull it and it just moves. I think I can make it push or pull faster too." His little thinking face was so cute that Inko had to bite her lip to keep from grinning or just snatching him up and cuddle him. But no, she was trying to help him with his quirk. This wasn't the time.

"Well can you make the first sticker somewhere else? It would make Mommy very happy if she didn't have to worry about your hands getting hurt." Inko clapped her hands together looking hopefully down at her little boy.

Could he do that? He wasn't sure he could, but if it was for Mom then he would try. Reaching for the power again, Izuku thought about placing that first sticker somewhere else. Low and behold when he focused on one of the pillows he could tell he had made the first sticker on it. Then he looked at the couch and made a second sticker there before finally having the pillow pulled toward the couch. Once more the pillow leapt from the table to couch.

"Woohoo! Was that good Mommy? I did just like you asked and made it go to the couch without using my hand." Looking up to his Mom for approval she nodded her head and gave him a hug.

"You did great Izuku. I am so proud of you. We'll have to celebrate for dinner tonight. What do you want to eat?" This had been a long day and one discovery with his quirk would be enough for today.

"Katsudon, mommy! Please, please can we?" The future hero looked up at the woman who had given him this power with eyes full of love and appreciation.

Looking back Inko was overtaken with those same emotions. Scooping him up, she tickled his belly, making him squeal and laugh.

"Of course we can sweetheart. It's a celebration for you after all!" A yell of excitement was the response she was given.

 _"Izuku I know I almost messed up, and I know I hurt you. But it won't happen again. If you want to be a hero then I'll help you anyway I can."_ Inko's thoughts to herself in that moment would be the foundation that helped shape one of the world's greatest heroes.


	3. Chapter 3

To Repel and Attract

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to My Hero Academia**

 **A/N:** Well I'm glad to see my fic is getting such a warm welcome. ^_^ Thank you all for your favs, follows, and of course reviews. Now then in MHA Inko explains that her quirk is to _attract_ small objects to her. What I wanted to do and what I really hadn't seen done before was to give Izuku a quirk based on that and more importantly related to his mother's quirk.

 **3/12/19:** Again as I noted in chapter 1 the above comment is no longer true.

Chapter 3: Shut Up My Mom is Awesome!

It was Izuku's first day of school since he had manifested his quirk and he couldn't wait to show everyone. Inko was walking him to his classroom to let his teachers know about his quirk. He and his mother had spent hours the previous day working out some of what he could do. They had figured out that Izuku could increase or decrease the speed of an object he could use his quirk on. Good thing to know, as it would hopefully prevent more hospital visits. The last thing they learned was that Izuku had a weight limit. Anything over five pounds and he struggled to make it budge. It gave him really bad headaches when he tried to move a full laundry basket. It had moved, slowly but surely, although his mother had been forced to give him headache medicine shortly thereafter.

 _"I can't wait to show Kacchan!"_ He started to pick up the pace a bit and began almost pulling his mother. Inko was quite amused with her son's enthusiasm and let him tug her to his classroom.

 _"Well I'm glad to see he's so excited about getting back to school. Even if I am certain he wants to show off his quirk."_ With a little warning hopefully the teachers could prevent any accidents from occurring.

Fifteen minutes later Izuku was waving goodbye to his mother before turning to the class. It wasn't hard to find Kacchan, a small group of his own little followers was always around him. He was just so cool, even the teachers thought he had a cool quirk. Izuku hoped that Kacchan thought his own quirk was cool too.

"Heya Kacchan! I got my quirk. Now I can be a hero too! Isn't that awesome!" Katsuki Bakugo looked at Izuku skeptically.

"You're kind of a wimp Deku. Even with a quirk there's no way you could be a hero. But what kind of quirk do you have?" Cool or not Katsuki could be a bit of a jerk. But that wouldn't get Izuku down. He was positive that Kacchan would change his mind once he showed him his quirk.

"No see my quirk is really cool it lets me move things without touching them. I'm sure I can be a hero." Katsuki snorted at the proclamation. But before Izuku could show off his quirk the teachers called them together to get started on the day's activities.

xxx

It wasn't until later in the day during a recess period that Izuku was able to bring up his quirk again. He ran over to the tree located on the playground and waved over Kacchan. Some other students noticed and followed the coolest kid in class to see what the wimp was up to.

"Kacchan watch this!" Reaching for his power he found a stick nearby and latched on with his quirk. A moment later it came into his hand. Izuku was glad that he had figured out how to slow down the things he pulled to him. If the stick had come to his hand at the same speed as the bowl the other day, then it might have hurt.

Several of the kids in class seemed to be fairly impressed with Izuku's quirk.

"Wow that was kinda cool."

"Maybe he can be a hero."

"Man I hope my quirk shows up soon too."

Now for Katsuki this was not acceptable. His little ego had been fanned for several weeks now. There was no way that he was going to share even a little bit of the spotlight. He was the greatest. No way was he going to be shown up by the class dork. Eyes hardening, Katsuki walked up to Izuku.

"So you can pick things up without grabbing them huh? So are you gonna be some kind of super garbage man?" Some of the other kids laughed but a few just looked at Katsuki in disapproval. That wasn't very nice. Izuku's little face fell. He had been so excited to show everyone his quirk. Katsuki wasn't done though.

"That quirk is just like your mom's isn't it? I heard my mommy talking about how useful your mom's quirk was for cleaning. But she can't pick up anything if it's too heavy." A few kids decided to leave at this point. Seeing a new quirk was cool but not everyone wanted to stick around to watch Katsuki be an ass. Izuku at this point was starting to cry out of frustration. He finally had a quirk of his own.

" _I thought if I showed him my quirk that Kacchan would think I was cool. Why is he being so mean?"_ Izuku's tears seemed to be the objective. Katsuki decided that he would make the little dork look like a crybaby and then no one would think Izuku was cooler than him.

"I bet that stick is the heaviest thing you can move. Face it Deku you can't become a hero not with a weak quirk like your mom's." The moment those words left Katsuki's mouth a switch was flipped. Izuku wasn't prone to aggression, he didn't like confrontation. But standing up for someone else? Especially for his mom? That he could do.

"shut… Ka… an." The sniffling ceased as he looked up at Katsuki his green eyes narrowing at the blond bully.

"Eh? What was that crybaby? I couldn't hear you? Hahaha what a wuss." Katsuki and his little group laughed at Izuku. They weren't paying much attention as Izuku began walking closer to Katsuki.

"I said shut up Kacchan! Don't talk bad about my mommy." The glare was about as threatening as a five year old's could be. But it got the point across.

Katsuki stopped laughing. The grin on his face changed into a cruel sneer. Stepping up to Izuku he lifted his hand up and used his quirk to create sparks around his little palm.

"Oh, what are you gonna do about it? Are you gonna fight me? Huh, Deku?" Getting right up in Izuku's face as he grilled the green haired boy.

Izuku paused for maybe half a second. Before glaring once more at the blond in front of him.

"I don't have to fight you. You're a jerk Kacchan and a bully. I know my mommy is the greatest so that means you're a liar too. I'm gonna be a great hero no matter what you say!"

Needless to say Izuku's response wasn't what Katsuki had been expecting. He had just been told he was wrong, been denied by this weakling! To top it off the little twerp had just called him a liar.

Grabbing Izuku by the collar Katsuki proceeded to slug the poor boy in the face. Izuku stumbled back holding his bruised cheek. A number of kids left to get the teachers. Fighting wasn't allowed and fighting with a quirk was really bad.

Katsuki wasn't done with his would be punching bag. Lighting his quirk up he went to hit the other boy again. A wide childlike swing still left Izuku stumbling back to keep from getting hit. Falling on his back Izuku started scooting back to keep from getting burned as Katsuki kept coming forward.

"See Deku. You can't even fight back. You're too scared to even hit me. So what makes you think you can be a hero?" Taking a knee he reached down for Izuku again.

But Izuku wasn't going to just lie there and get burned. Reaching for his quirk Izuku swung his fist straight into Katsuki's side. A point at his fist and a point at Katsuki's side and when that fist just about reached that point, Izuku pushed.

The end result was that Katsuki went rolling to the side and was left gasping as he clutched his side. Izuku just sat there looking at his hand and then at Katsuki.

" _Oops."_

Of course this was the scene that the two teachers showed up to see. Scooping up both of the two children, Katsuki was taken to the nurse's office and Izuku to the principal's office. It took a little while for the teachers to get the full story from the other students and there were a few conflicting tales from some of the kids.

But the ultimately it was pretty clear that Katsuki had picked a fight with Izuku using his quirk. Then Izuku ended up finishing it using his own quirk. Both of the children's parents were called in.

xxx

"Why you little BRAT! I can't believe you tried to burn another kid! And it was little Izuku too. I thought you two were friends. Oh just you wait until we get home." Mrs. Bakugo was a rather intense woman. Who thankfully didn't put up with her child's, or anyone's crap. Still though ….

" _Couldn't she have waited until they got home?"_ Were the thoughts that crossed everyone else's heads in that moment. Sweat drops on the back of their heads.

Shaking his head a bit, the principal cleared his throat to get the attention of the office's other occupants.

"Now I do understand that both boys are very young and that both have recently manifested their quirks. But this is simply unacceptable. We cannot have playground brawls where children are using potentially very dangerous abilities. Both boys will be suspended for the next two days and we expect both of them to be informed of the responsibilities that come with such gifts. With that being said you are both free to take them home."

The time spent going back to their apartment was spent in silence. Every time Izuku looked up at his mom to say something, her disappointed face stopped him every time.

When they did finally get back to the apartment Inko brought her son into the living room and sat him down on the couch with her.

"Honey why did you do that? I know you know better. I understand why you might have used your quirk at the end. But why didn't you just walk away before it turned into a fight?" It was obvious that she was rather upset and the corners of her eyes were already starting to water.

Izuku's little head sunk, with shame. He didn't mean to make her sad.

"I didn't walk away because he said that you were weak. But you're not and I called him a liar and a bully and then he punched me. I'm sorry mommy I didn't mean to get in trouble or make you mad at me." His head hung low. He couldn't bring himself to look at his mother.

Inko blinked a few times before she smiled sadly. Her little baby had been defending her honor. She sniffled for a bit before grabbing Izuku and pulling him into a hug. Settling him into her lap, his little arms grasping tightly to her, she whispered into his hair.

"My sweet little hero. I'm tickled that you thought to stand up for me but they were just words. I think Kacchan was just trying to rile you up and make you upset. You can't pay attention to bullies. If you're going to be a hero then you'll have to get used to people saying mean things. But you have to be stronger than that. Don't pay attention to what they say and remember what you know to be true. I believe in you and I bet you'll be the greatest hero."

Now the waterworks started up for real as mother and son held on tight to one another. These past few days had just been a roller coaster of emotions for the both of them.

 **A/N: Next chapter I plan to speed things along a bit but there are still some factors that I want to cover concerning my Izuku's mindset and quirk. So we might not reach the start of season 1 until the chapter 5. But I do hope that everyone is enjoying the ride. Again thank you all for your favs, follows and reviews.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Time Passes By

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to My Hero Academia**

 **xxxxx**

Much of the next day for Inko and Izuku was spent going over what was and wasn't acceptable with a quirk. Public use of a quirk for any reason outside of self-preservation was only tolerated in small children. Likewise fighting, again outside of self-defense, with a quirk was a criminal offense. Izuku definitely didn't want to be a villain, so promised not to use his quirk to fight with his classmates again.

Inko was glad for the promise but wanted to ensure that Izuku didn't accidentally lash out and hurt someone. Which meant him getting a much better grasp on his abilities. Usually this wasn't an issue until later in school. Around second grade, schools had a mandatory quirk counseling class to help children better adapt to their powers. But Inko was concerned that waiting that long might invite further incidents, given the bullying that had occurred at school the previous day.

There were centers for exercising one's quirk that allowed people to fully utilize their quirks. Government owned and operated to make sure no one was abusing said buildings and the freedom allowed there in. Counsellors were available there but most parents had similar enough quirks to allow them to assist their own children. Instruments were available with a small fee to better record and assess a child's quirk. Inko wasn't quite willing to throw in the towel and let someone else take over teaching her baby. Especially when the quirk was so obviously derived from her own.

Which ultimately brought them to one of said facilities on the second day. A large concrete building towards the outskirts of town with a wide open area fenced off behind it to allow people more space with which to use their quirks.

Xxx

Arranging for a practice court and some equipment was rather straight forward and soon the two Midoriyas were testing Izuku's quirk to the limits. Izuku was ecstatic to have all but free reign to use his quirk as he pleased, though Inko still preferred that he didn't bring any objects flying toward himself. The whole day was spent with Izuku pushing and pulling various weights and objects to see the current limits his quirk held.

Inko was nervous at the beginning. It had after all only been a few days since Izuku had manifested his quirk and he had already managed to wind up in the hospital once and injure another child. As the day progressed however she loosened up a bit in order to see what all her son could really do.

A baseball had been brought in with them to test his speed with something on the lighter end of the spectrum. The courts were equipped with speedometers for those with quirks that could be measured in such a manner. With the baseball Izuku could easily reach speeds of up to twenty six kilometers an hour. Rather impressive for a five year old.

After the baseball, Inko had Izuku try and lift as heavy an object as he could but at the moment he couldn't lift anything heavier than about three kilos without incurring a nasty headache. While not especially heavy Inko knew quirks strengthened over time.

It was found that Izuku's quirk had a max range of about eight meters. Meaning he could probably reach anywhere he wanted inside his classroom. Or reach the cookies on the top shelf, as Izuku pointed out. The look his mother had given him for that comment assured him that the cookies would undoubtedly be moved in the future.

Lastly in terms of limitations, Izuku could only manipulate a single object at a time. It was rather late in the day when Inko had thought to test that aspect of his quirk though, so perhaps it might be possible to improve upon that too.

In general the quirk worked like a magnet that could push or pull the world around him. The exception to that was that most magnets attracted or repelled one another depending upon the polarity. Whereas with Izuku's quirk only one object in question would budge. Izuku claimed however that he thought he could make them come together but that it was a funny feeling that he couldn't quite reach.

Overall the day was rather productive and saw the duo returning home with smiles.

Xxxx

The next day was Izuku's first day back at class and he was hesitant to see Kacchan again. The green haired boy wasn't interested in getting into another fight. He didn't like upsetting his mother.

Thankfully Mitsuki, Katsuki's mother, had met them at the gate with a sullen Katsuki. The blond boy had been forced to apologize for what he said and with a little prompting from his mother, Izuku had returned the gesture. Trying to show that there were no hard feeling between them.

It seemed the effort was lost on Kacchan though. As soon as both mothers left he glared at Izuku.

"Listen up Deku, I won't kick your butt right now. I can't be the greatest hero ever if I get into trouble too much. But if you think for a second that we're friends any more than you can forget it. Oh and next time we fight I'm gonna kick your crybaby butt!" The little blond hellion stomped away after having said his piece.

Needless to say Izuku wasn't too surprised. He had come to school today already having given up on any friendship remaining intact between the two of them. Honestly he had thought Kacchan might have started a fight as soon as he could. So to just ignore each other was probably the best resolution.

Xxx

The rest of his kindergarten year saw Izuku and his mother returning to the center three times a week to practice his quirk and studying at school.

Every once in a while Izuku would have a play date with one of his class mates, but none of his peers were much interested in incurring Katsuki's wrath. Being friends with the Deku was a sure fire way to earn the little pyro's ire.

Still Izuku had an enjoyable remainder of the year after that initial quarrel. Keeping his grades up in school, while refining his quirk. A lack of social circle allowed for more study time and free afternoons in which to train.

While his range of influence had not expanded past eight meters and he could still only manipulate a single object at a time the other aspects of his quirk had all improved. His max weight limit had grown to seven kilos and his speed had increased to a whopping thirty two kilometers an hour with any object weighing a kilo or less.

Christmas in the Midoriya household was an odd affair. Mostly because of Izuku's father. Working abroad, the man only really came home twice a year. Once on Christmas and once on Izuku's birthday. While Izuku loved these occasions, there was a certain amount of distance that Hisashi placed between his wife and himself. Enough to make Inko notice but not enough to ruin festivities.

Xxx

The first grade year continued much in the way kindergarten had. With three days of quirk practice, school Monday through Friday, and watching all he could in regards to the current most popular heroes.

All Might was, and always would be the boy's favorite. He was Izuku's idol and just listening to the man laugh invoked a feeling of awe. But that didn't mean that other heroes weren't cool too. Endeavor, Best Jeanist, Crimson Riot and dozens of other heroes would feature on the tv or computer depending on the time of day in the Midoriya household.

The biggest difference between kindergarten and first grade had been an unfortunate chain of events at school that Inko was helpless to change and Izuku was too slow to prevent.

Izuku's first grade class featured a rather drastic change in faces for the boy. Over half the class of the previous year had not returned for first grade. Having either moved away or been enrolled in nicer schools. With this many new faces came a new variety of quirks and ample opportunity to show off.

Katsuki undoubtedly had the flashiest and likely strongest quirk in the class. So naturally he pulled in a crowd much like had done the year before. The many new faces enamored with the powerful quirk. This was how the trouble started.

Of the students that remained from the kindergarten year before, the majority were those children that had been in Katsuki's corner. One of these children began a nasty rumor amongst the class telling of the fight the previous year between Katsuki and Izuku.

The way the story was told, Izuku had started the fight after misunderstanding something Katsuki had said. The fight was of course made overly dramatic but small children are quick to latch onto such stories without the benefit of learned skepticism. At the end of the fight Katsuki had won and tried to help Izuku up. Then Izuku had used his quirk and seriously injured the other boy.

Izuku did not hear of this story until late into the year. He had assumed the new students were shy like him and so did not approach any of them until nearly into the second semester. By that time the tale of Deku, the kid who used his quirk to hurt people had circulated the class.

When he had finally discovered the reason for his peers distance, Izuku tried to argue his case but no one was willing to listen. Even going to Katsuki to try and get him to tell the truth didn't work.

"Deku, I don't know what you expect me to do. They already know what happened so why would me telling it to them be any different?" The smirk on the Katsuki's face had shown vindictive pleasure in regards to Izuku's pained face.

Izuku had come home crying that day and it took Inko nearly an hour to get Izuku to tell her what was wrong. As his mother she of course tried to rectify the situation with his class, but only served to worsen the situation. Now it looked as though Izuku was a crybaby that told his mommy lies when he didn't get his way.

Izuku appreciated the effort though, and didn't blame his mother. In the end he just accepted his isolation amongst the class and made the best out of his time outside of school to keep a grin on his face. He had to grin, even when it hurt. All Might never stopped grinning so he wouldn't either.

Xxx

By the end of the first grade year Izuku's quirk had improved further. Though Inko was beginning to think maybe she should hire someone to take over his training. There had been a few close calls that nearly resulted in what could have been serious injuries. Some days were certainly more stressful than others, she had found a gray hair the other day.

Regardless she had pressed forward to provide Izuku with as much direction as she could. Most exciting was that Izuku ended the year being able to manipulate two objects at the same time. This was of course still mitigated by his weight limit and so he had to divide his ability between the two objects but it was still progress.

His sphere of influence had finally improved though not by much. He was now able to manipulate objects as far as ten meters away. Izuku had been frustrated with the fact that he just couldn't reach anything further than that.

On the flip side his maximum weight and speed had both improved. Lifting and moving objects weighing eleven kilos or less was within his power and he was able to repel any marked item weighing two kilos or less at speeds of up to forty five kilometers an hour.

Izuku took the good with the bad that year and showed his mother that he was a very resilient child. Inko was proud of him for his attitude and accomplishments for the year.

Xxx

Only one real difference marked second grade from the previous two years. But that was halfway through the second semester.

Izuku's class didn't feature any new faces this year and served to cement the self-isolationist policy Izuku had begun taking up. It was easier to not bother with his classmates of his own volition, than to face rejection from his peers. He was polite and smiled whenever called upon but didn't engage himself with the rest of the class any more than needed.

Kacchan had now firmly become Bakugo, any attempts at maintaining an at least amicable relationship a forgone conclusion. Izuku ignored his crowing as much as he did the rest of the class.

Most of Izuku's free time was dedicated to one of three things now. The first was his quirk. Even outside of the training center, Izuku had taken to training around the house every instant he got. Using his quirk for a multitude of different tasks helped him better understand how to wield it.

He had been forbidden from using it in the kitchen though. His mother had come in one day from shopping while he had been doing dishes, only to see a pair of knives hovering too close to her baby for comfort. The "oops" that had answered her high pitched gasp had apparently not been the correct response.

By the end of the year his constant practice and sessions at the center had shown in his skill with his quirk. A sphere of influence reaching fourteen meters, able to manipulate an object or objects with a total weight of up to fifteen kilos, able to fire off an object weighing as much as five kilos at speeds as fast as sixty kilometers an hour, and managing to add two more sets of points allowing him to manipulate a total of four objects at once now.

Izuku's second pastime, that was perhaps even more time consuming than his exercises, was his hero analysis. Two notebooks were now full of scribbles and thoughts on the various abilities and tactics of many of the most popular heroes.

It had become a bit of an obsession for Izuku, cataloging the great heroes of his time and considering the many different ways they went about their jobs. Disaster relief, local crime, super villains, and criminal organizations. Every hero had their own way of handling those facets of their career. Izuku was interested in taking all of that knowledge so as to use it to his advantage later down the line.

But maybe even more so than the way they handled their career was how those heroes used their quirks. Izuku was determined to be the number one hero someday. To use his quirk, just as his hero All Might did, with a smile on his face. To not just bring relief and aid but to _be_ that relief. To that end he would take the techniques of the best and commit them to memory.

Meanwhile Inko had become increasingly concerned for her son. While she was happy that Izuku was doing well in school and proud of his progress with his quirk, she had seen his distance from his peers. It seemed that he didn't have anyone to talk to outside of herself. This was saddening to the woman, a child shouldn't only have a parent to talk to. It had led to Izuku having some social insecurities. While he was perfectly polite and was capable of holding a conversation with an adult, the young boy became nervous when confronted with someone his own age. Ultimately though it was the loneliness in Izuku's eyes when she picked him up from school that hurt her the most. The slight longing that she only barely caught, whenever Izuku glanced at his peers as they wandered off into their own friend groups.

It was probably for that very reason that she allowed Izuku to bring a treacherous, counter clearing, death bringing, blue eyed, black furred little scoundrel into their home. Inko as it turned out wasn't the biggest fan of cats. Who knew?

Xxx

Halfway through the second semester Izuku had managed to convince his mother to take him to a nearby park after school one day. The park in question had been the site of a recent battle between Best Jeanist and a super villain. Izuku hoped to find some of Best Jeanist's strings. It would have been a prized piece of his collection of hero memorabilia.

The place was something of a wreck despite being nearly two days past the fight itself. Trees bisected neatly and large gouges in the earth scattered everywhere. It was honestly starting to scare Inko. This was what her baby was getting into. This was what he wanted to do.

 _"Ooh I don't like this. My baby is supposed to be getting into fights with people that can do this?"_ Looking around she surveyed the damaged park as Izuku searched everywhere for some string left behind by one of the world's greatest heroes.

 _"It's one thing to see it on the news but seeing the destruction in person puts it into a new light. A scary one at that. But I don't think I can turn him away now. He's put so much work into his quirk. Heck I've put so much effort into his quirk. I can only hope that all of that work will keep him safe."_ Inko's eyes, closed in deep thought as they were, completely missed Izuku scampering into a large pile of debris in his search of his quarry.

Xxx

Izuku was pretending he was a hero on a search and rescue mission looking for the string. The large pile of tree limbs, destroyed park benches, and the like made for an excellent allegory to a crumbled down building.

 _"Don't worry string. I'll save you. Then I'll find you a place on my wall of heroes! Hahaha!"_ Honestly had anyone else heard the boy's thoughts they might have been a little disturbed. Fanboy thoughts had a tendency to start normal and end weird.

Sadly the quest for the string looked to be in vain. It was starting to get late and he was sure his mother had just called for him too. Sighing in disappointment he kicked a small rock to the side and headed back to his mother. The rock in question though, hit something else. Something that responded with a weak whine that Izuku only just barely caught.

Looking back Izuku searched for the source of the noise. There underneath a branch was a small black kitten. It was trapped, with its little paw stuck underneath a branch. It appeared pitiful and weak glancing up at Izuku. Its ribs were plainly visible indicating it had probably been a while since it had eaten last.

Izuku went to free the little feline but couldn't budge the branch. The cat's eyes were pleading with him and Izuku couldn't leave the kitten alone now. He had to save it. How could he call himself a hero if he couldn't even save a cat?

Reaching for his quirk he focused on the branch making four points on the branch and pushed it up off the cat. It bent and bent, and the moment it was up off the black kitten, Izuku rushed in to the rescue. The moment he grabbed the kitten he stepped back and let go of the branch which came snapping back.

At this point he could definitely hear his mother calling out for him. Izuku hurried out of his little enclosure. His mother was starting to sound a little upset and he didn't want to make her cry. So holding the cat carefully the eight year old boy ran to his mom.

"Mom I'm here, I'm here! Look what I found mom!" Izuku had to show his mom. It was his first work as a hero after all.

xxx

Inko meanwhile was having to calm herself down a bit. She'd fallen into one of the oldest traps a parent could. She had only taken her eyes off Izuku for a moment. That was usually all it took for a small child to wander off in a new environment.

"Izuku don't wander off like that honey! You nearly gave mommy a heart attack." Her hand on her chest she gave a relieved sigh. Izuku however was still trying to get her to look at whatever he had found.

"Mommy looook. I saved a kitty! Just like a hero does. I rescued someone!" Izuku was so proud of himself and the grin he had on his face reached his eyes.

Inko blinked a bit at the proclamation before taking a better look at the object of her son's excitement. Indeed there was a black little kitten and she had to hold back a groan. Inko had never been the biggest fan of cats. Her aunt had owned a horde of the creatures and the animals had delighted in clawing at her hands and tearing up her things whenever she had visited.

This particular cat was very small and looked rather worse for wear. Izuku was cradling the thing carefully and the kitten had curled itself up in his arms. Izuku's words registered in Inko's mind and she smiled kindly.

"Wow, good job little hero! I'm so proud of you. That kitten doesn't look very good though. Why don't we take it to an animal shelter? They can take care of him and make him better." Inko was happy for her son and his feeling of accomplishment but she wasn't keen on staying around the kitten for any longer than she had to.

Izuku on the other hand seemed to have different plans. The kind that Inko was trying to avoid.

"Aww but mom can't we keep him? I promise I'll take care of Ichi. I'll make sure he gets better." Now Inko did groan. She did not want to bring a cat back to the apartment.

Not because it would cause any problems. The landlord was something of a crazy cat lady herself and might even waive the fee. No Inko just wasn't looking forward to cat scratches everywhere and meowing at night.

"Izuku honey our apartment isn't very big. You'd have to share your room with him and taking care of a cat can be a lot of work. Are you sure you want to do that? And where did Ichi come from?" Izuku frowned a bit at his mother's words. Before holding the kitten just a smidge tighter.

"I promise I'll take care of him mommy and I don't mind sharing my room. It might be nice to have someone else to play with. And he's Ichi cuz he's the first one." Inko's eyes watered at the edges. She knew Izuku had been lonely but she hadn't considered a pet. The last bit confused her though.

"First what honey?" Izuku looked up at his mother with big green eyes and said with a slightly glum face. He was worried his mother wouldn't let him keep the kitten.

"The first person I've saved with my quirk mommy." Now Inko just caved. She couldn't say no. Not to that face. Not to those words.

"Well I guess we'll have to run by a pet store and get Ichi what he needs." Izuku's face shined with the grin he gave his mother.

His little green hair bobbed up and down as he danced around his mother. Inko could only grin in exasperation.


	5. Chapter 5

To Repel and Attract

Chapter 5: Felines, Flawed Ideas and Farewells

Ichi turned out to be a mixed blessing. The little kitten was well behaved for the most part. His black fur was soft and sleek and his bright blue eyes took in the world with a look like he owned the place. With Izuku though the cat was clearly attached to a large degree. They slept together, ate together, and somehow or another went to school together.

Inko had thought at first that Izuku had snuck the cat into his backpack. But Izuku had sworn that wasn't the case. He was just as surprised as his mother to see Ichi waiting at the gate when Izuku got out of school. Inko wasn't sure how the cat was doing it, but it freaked her out a little.

Still the sight of a little black kitten sleeping in her son's dark green, curly nest of hair was an adorable sight to behold. One that Inko had made sure to snap a picture of. Ichi followed Izuku around the house like a little shadow most of the time and seemed to pay attention to every word the boy spoke, meowing occasionally in response to something Izuku said.

On the other hand Ichi seemed to delight in tormenting Inko. Or at least she thought so. The dark feline was prone to pushing all of her tissue boxes off the shelves and coffee table for her to trip over later. In addition Ichi loved bringing half dead small animals into the house to drop onto the kitchen table as if he was preparing dinner. His choice in cuisine left much to be desired.

Inko was willing to put up with all of this for one reason. Izuku talked more with Ichi around than he ever had before they had brought the cat home. Even if it was just to a cat, Inko was glad to hear her son talking. The boy had been sullen from constantly distancing himself from his peers at school but Ichi gave the boy someone to talk to. Low and behold the cat meowed back more often than not. On days that Izuku came back from a dismal time at school, Ichi would often manage to make the world bright again. Inko made sure the kitten was rewarded with some extra treats on those days.

Xxxx

Third and fourth grade just seemed to roll into one another. Go to school, train a few days a week at the center, write in his hero notebooks, and play with Ichi. The Midoriya household just swam through those two years. Birthdays and Christmas, Hisashi came to visit but outside of that it was just the three of them.

Izuku's powers grew during those years, though to a lesser degree than in the past. Only his weight limit and speed improved, which grew at a rather steady constant pace. While any effort to extend his range or increase the number of points he could create all but hit a wall. Whenever Izuku was frustrated with that fact, Inko was quick to show Izuku her own quirk in comparison. She couldn't make things zoom across the room or lift more than a few kilos at once. She could barely move more than a single object at once and even then the sweeping motion ended with them being grouped up together like dirt to a dustpan.

Her encouragement and faith helped to push Izuku forward. Ending in fourth grade Izuku could manipulate up to five objects with up to a combined weight of twenty nine kilos, firing off smaller objects up to four kilos at speeds of up to eighty five kilometers an hour, and had had extended his range by another meter to a total of seventeen.

Xxx

School had taken an interesting, if unpleasant, turn. It had been years since the incident in kindergarten between Katsuki and Izuku. Most everyone seemed to have forgotten about it. Except Katsuki. Without anyone paying closer attention to the two at school Katsuki had decided to take a shot at Izuku.

The confrontation began after school one day in fourth grade with Izuku waiting in the courtyard. The train that would get him home fastest wouldn't be at the station for a little while. So he had time to kill with Ichi until then. Katsuki had followed him and came upon Izuku having a conversation with Ichi and laughed at the weirdo talking to the cat.

"Hahaha you have gotta be kidding me Deku. Now this is just sad. You don't have any friends so you've resorted to talking to animals now? With how quiet you are in class these days I thought you'd forgotten how to talk. Now I see it's just because you prefer to keep quiet around humans huh. Next thing you know you'll be licking yourself clean. Hahahaha!"

Izuku just smiled at the other boy, shook his head, and turned his back on Katsuki and started walking away, Ichi following beside. Katsuki did not appreciate being ignored; and to walk away from him? Deku would regret that.

"Oh Deku don't you know?" Katsuki started moving towards his target. Lighting his quirk up, Izuku only had enough time to turn his head and widen his eyes.

"Never turn your back on a stronger opponent!" His fist swung, crackling through the air straight into Izuku's back. A small explosion left Izuku's jacket burnt and sent him rolling head over heels.

Ichi rushed to his downed master and place himself between the two boys. Hissing, Ichi's fur stood on end as he faced down the pyromaniac intent on harming his human. Katsuki wasn't amused. Picking a fight with Izuku was one thing. Burning a cat up wasn't cool.

"Tch, I'm not gonna torch a cat. But I think I've proved my point. You're still just as weak and pathetic as ever Deku! A quirk doesn't change that." He grinned at the downed boy and walked past with Ichi hissing and spitting at him the whole way.

When Katsuki had left from Izuku's sight he sat up. His fist gripped in an odd way.

"Thanks Ichi. I really didn't want to use my quirk and risk getting in trouble." Ichi's blue eyes peered at his two leg curiously, head tilted in confusion. Izuku pointed up above where Katsuki had just been. Ichi followed Izuku's finger to its destination.

Hovering above, was a large tree branch. Izuku released the point from the branch and it fell to the ground. It probably weighed close to five kilos and would have left a nasty bruise on Katsuki even if he had simply dropped it.

If Katsuki was feeling sure enough to pick a fight with him though then this probably wouldn't be the end of things between them. Izuku didn't care about fighting him however. Even if Izuku did win, it would only serve to get him in trouble with the teachers and disappoint his mother. He needed to find a way of keeping himself from getting involved in a fight at all. The question was what could he do?

Xxx

Katsuki continued to antagonize Izuku at every opportunity. Izuku just tried to avoid him as best as he could. At first he had simply stayed in front of the school after class. Katsuki wasn't so stupid as to start a fight where passersby could see them. But Katsuki had simply started waiting by the front doors. While Izuku was certain that Bakugo wouldn't start a fight in the school, he wouldn't put it past his tormentor to take a shot at him in passing.

Katsuki wanted a fight and he was determined to force Izuku to give him one. Izuku himself wasn't sure if Bakugo was actually looking for a challenge or was just enjoying being an ass. Either way Izuku was going to stay out of it. Izuku ended up taking some passing pot shots to the ribs every once in a while but just walked right past Bakugo. He had started leaving his school jacket off as he passed. His jacket was pricy and any damage to it would be hard to hide from his mother. But if he waited until after he left the school to put it on.

Fourth grade turned into a game of cat and mouse where Izuku would find a way to avoid Katsuki for a while, only for Katsuki to come up with some way of catching him off guard. This relationship would maintain itself for years to come with the only thing changing being the methods that they used.

Xxx

Fifth grade, unlike the previous two years, featured some big changes. Some good and others sadly heart rending.

Halfway through the first semester Izuku's class had covered magnets. Not anything too in depth, but the topic did at one point gloss over the fact that many trains these days used a type of propulsion generated by magnetic levitation. The teacher hadn't gone into any depth on the matter, merely using the knowledge as a hook to draw the students into the subject. But it had been enough to get Izuku wondering if he could do something similar.

For the next week Izuku had investigated exactly how the magnets in the trains worked. Much of it went over the young boy's head but he got the general idea. More importantly he concocted a method by which he could imitate that propulsion system. He would take a set of points and apply them to his feet. One set to a foot, then using his remaining points he would make a track, and activate each point as he came upon them to increase his speed. One part of the set would pull him forwards and the other, to the immediate side of the first, would repel him away as soon as he passed it. With a plan in mind Izuku was itching to try it out.

At the center later that week Izuku put his new technique to the test. Inko sat nearby looking on with Ichi to her side, glancing at his odd two leg. Izuku had explained a little of what he wanted to do to his mother but it had come out in a bit of a rush. Inko was beginning to think this wasn't a very good idea.

Izuku, ignorant of his mother's concerns, was trying to nail down his balance as he flailed several centimeters off the ground. He wasn't as steady as he had hoped he would be, but he had only recently managed to manipulate entities weighing as much as himself. The benefits of being a small child weren't many but this probably made the top of the list.

With two of his five sets being used to make him float, Izuku made his first set of "track" and began to move forward. Pull with the first of the set and push with the second. Then lay another piece of "track" down. Wash, rinse, repeat and soon enough Izuku was moving along and picking up speed. It was working! His grin spread across his face and laughter colored his voice.

"This is so cool! Mom look at me! Look how fast I'm going!" Inko let the tension slip from her shoulders while she watched her child enjoy himself. Ichi was watching Izuku with wide eyes, his ears perked up as his head moved back and forth while tracking his human.

Izuku was having to go wider and wider with his tracks as he began going faster and faster. He honestly wasn't sure how fast he was going but he had come upon a problem. The grin had started to slip. How was he supposed to stop?

Izuku's first thought was to use his quirk to slow himself down. Unfortunately while that may have been a decent idea, Izuku's execution was made in haste. With haste came improper thinking and lead to mistakes. Like trying to slow himself down by his feet.

Inko could only watch in horror as her baby fell. With an awful slap, flesh hit polished floorboards. Blood trailed behind a rolling body as Izuku came to a stop and he slammed into the far wall.

"IZUKU!"The chair she had been sitting on flew backwards as Inko sprinted to her son as fast as she could, Ichi following right behind yowling.

There was blood all over Izuku's face and his eyes were closed. Inko was panicking, she fumbled for her phone and called for an ambulance.

Xxx

Izuku woke up surrounded by white. White sheets, white curtains, white floor, and a white ceiling. His eyes grew and he sat up with a jolt. Only to immediately lay right back down as his head began to ring.

"Izuku! Honey lay still. You're in the hospital." Inko's voice came through the ringing and Izuku looked to his right to see his mother sitting in a chair next to him.

 _"Oh good I'm not dead. Seriously whoever thought making hospitals white was a good idea, had a sucky sense of humor."_ Izuku was relieved after the rather startling sight that he woken up to. His head rang again and he closed his eyes against the pain.

Inko placed her hand on Izuku's head and stroked his hair softly. It had been nearly two hours since Izuku had been admitted and the entire time had been nerve wracking. The head injury had been bad but nothing some stitches wouldn't fix. The doctors had been shocked that it hadn't been worse.

Turned out that Izuku had managed to reach thirty five kilometers an hour, after only forty five seconds of using the technique. Best they could tell from his injuries, the doctors had concluded that Izuku must have used his quirk at the last second and tried to catch himself. It kept him from suffering any severe injuries but his head had still made contact with the floor hard enough to result in a bloody gash.

Inko shared all of this with her son and was worrying her arms. This whole incident had been frightening for her. She was on the verge of telling Izuku that they couldn't train at the center anymore. But before she could say anything, Izuku began to shake.

His sobs wracked his whole body. The whole affair had just crumbled down on him. The pain of the incident, the fear of the fall, the frustration of not being able to make the technique work, and the humiliation of it all being his own fault.

"I'm sorry mom. I'm sorry I'm so stupid. I thought I had it. I thought I had something cool and I lost control and got hurt." Inko put her concerns to rest. If Izuku realized how bad the situation could have been then she couldn't bring herself to bring him down further.

Crawling into the bed she wrapped her arms around the shaking ten year old. Izuku snuggling deeper into his mother's embrace. Before noticing something out of the corner of his cracked eye.

"C-come here Ichi." Inko blinked wondering if she'd heard that right.

"Honey, I had to take Ichi home. You can't bring a cat to a hos-"

"Meow." Inko nearly jumped out of her skin as the black feline in question responded in her ear. Her head creaked to the side as she laid her eyes on the little devil.

 _"How in the hell!? I know I took him home."_ Regardless of her thoughts of disbelief Ichi worked his way to Izuku's face and purred as he rubbed against his human's face. Izuku's gave a watery smile as he returned the affectionate gesture. Seeing that smile, any resolve to constrain her son's quirk training dissolved.

 _"So long as he's ok. This could have been so much worse. I know that being a hero means the world to him. Better for him to keep practicing with me around than to sneak off on his own."_ As for the purring fuzz bucket. Well….

 _"I am so going to find out how you do that. But in this instance, it's gonna get you some extra treats when we get home."_

Xxxx

The train technique had been deemed a failure. For now at least. Izuku was in no rush to turn himself into a human crash test dummy again. But he was sure that he could find some use for the technique. He just had to figure out what it would be good for.

Inko had suggested a break from training for a while. The whole scene in the center kept playing through her mind and she couldn't bring herself to go near the building right now.

Izuku surprisingly enough readily agreed. He hadn't given up on his dream of being a hero but the accident had shaken him. His own mortality was brought into light. A concept that hadn't really occurred to him in the past. But now with the knowledge of how his own blood tasted and the memory of the ground rushing towards his face, Izuku was having to come to terms with it.

So while staying away from the center, Izuku took to focusing on making as many points as he could. Increasing the number of objects that he could manipulate as best he could. Putting that much time into only a single aspect of his quirk payed off with marked improvement. In only the second half of the first semester of fifth grade Izuku was able to increase the number point sets he could create from five to twelve.

Near to the end of the first semester the Midoriyas suffered another great misfortune. While no blood was spilt on that occasion, Izuku thought that he might have preferred it been as simple as a hospital visit.

Xxx

Coming home from class, Izuku walked in to hear his mother on the phone, her voice sharp. Not wanting to interrupt, he moved to go to his room but stopped when he heard his mom say his dad's name.

"Hisashi if you think this is a surprise to me then you're wrong. I've suspected for some time what you've been doing." His father was obviously on the other line. But he couldn't be heard at the distance Izuku was from the phone. Instead all he heard was his mother's responses.

"Of course I'm upset you idiot. Just because I suspected doesn't mean I didn't want to be wrong. At this point though it's Izuku I worry about. You're his father, you're supposed to be there for him and frankly I don't think he remembers who you are half the time." Izuku could hear the tears and frustration in his mother's voice. What was going on? Something was very wrong because when his mother spoke next it was with anger, and much louder than he had ever heard her.

"He's your son you asshole! It doesn't matter if you don't want to come back. You have a responsibility as a parent." Her rant was cut short, by his father presumably. This time she snorted and her voice became cold.

"You're a bastard you know that. Fine I'll take it. For Izuku's sake if nothing else. But you need to talk with your son and tell him what's going on." Whatever his father's response, it was not what his mother was looking for. Her head fell to her free hand, and with a dead voice she spoke.

"I never thought you could be such a coward. Fine I'll tell him. Good bye Hisashi." With a soft click she hung up the phone.

Holding her head in her hands Inko began to sob. Izuku made his way to his mother and place his hand on her shoulder. She startled for a moment before rubbing her face and reddening eyes.

"Izuku, baby I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in. Do you need anything?" Inko wasn't sure if she could go over what had been said with Izuku. It was still very fresh in her mind and she was emotionally drained. It seemed that her son would save her the trouble though.

"Dad's not coming back is he?" Six words. With six words and a face that showed a depth of sorrow, Izuku broke the dam.

Picking up her baby and pulling him into her arms they cried together. One out of the humiliation and anger that she felt and the other for the loss of one of the few people he surrounded himself with.

Xxx

It wasn't as though Hisashi was an active participant in Izuku's life all that often. He usually had to look at a picture to remember what the man looked like. But it was still painful, a heavy feeling on his chest. His time spent with his quirk and studying heroes lessened. Ichi could often be found curled up next to Izuku, trying to comfort his human. Inko was worried for her son too.

Inko had known that something was going on with Hisashi for years but hadn't wanted to rock the boat. But Izuku had no idea that anything was wrong. The whole thing had been a shock to him. His tears quickly turned to anger over the abandonment he felt.

Inko was willing to go back to the center to allow Izuku to vent. Quashing any feelings she might have had about going back to the place, Inko decided to follow her son's example. She felt almost laughable trying to use her quirk next her son and usually ended up throwing the weights around. Izuku was surprised but just let his mom join him in silence, understanding that she hurt just as he did.

 _"It's not like I'm doing anything differently. Stupid jerk. Stupid dad."_ The internal grief, accompanied as it was by four kilos worth of weight slammed into the netted corner he had been aiming for.

Xxx

The aggravated training was finally broken off by Inko three months after its start. It was getting close to winter break and Inko wanted to see family in Akita. It had been a while since she had visited. Her Aunt was the only family she had left and the older woman had mentioned that she would like to see her niece and grand nephews. Inko had been confused for a moment at the plural nephews, before realizing, with a groan, that the old woman was including Ichi.

When winter break finally did roll around, the Midoriya household was packed and ready to go. The trip was pleasant, being bundled up against the cold Izuku was quick to fall asleep against his mother on the heated train. Ichi had done his best to squeeze himself between the two sources of heat and looked to have no intentions on moving.

Upon arrival, after such a long trip, Inko was exhausted and happy to see her Aunt's home. A brick path lead its way up to a large warm two story cottage. Inko gave a grin in remembrance to her childhood days of coming here. During the rest of the year there would be flowers everywhere, vines growing over the roof like a green blanket, and at least one cat lounging on the railing of the small porch at the house's front. Even in winter though, Inko could see the vegetation behind the condensation slick windows of the greenhouse that took up a quarter of the first floor. Her Aunt's quirk certainly kept things verdant year round.

As they approached closer the door swung open to reveal an old woman easily in her seventies. Of the same height as Inko, with grey hair pulled into a messy ponytail, laugh lines spread from the corners of her lips and her brown eyes held crinkles. Her eyes were kind and she was smiling at her two guests, beckoning them in.

Yoshioka Haru was ecstatic to see her niece and grand nephews. She had yet to meet the new fur baby and it had been almost six years since she had seen Izuku. She doubted the boy really remembered her. But she was quick to rush them all in, out of the cold.

Xxx

When they had gotten themselves settled in a bit and taken off a few layers, the three guests were properly welcomed with big hugs all around. Ichi was sniffing all over the place, much to Izuku's amusement. Ichi could tell there were other cats around.

The next few days were spent getting to know one another better. Auntie Haru wanted to know what all her nephew had been up to. Inko looked on with pride as Izuku displayed his quirk to his aunt. Haru was very impressed and showed her own quirk to the boy. She could make any plant grow and grow strong. The green house was full of her work. Izuku took nearly two hours to stop asking questions about what all she could do, much to the elderly woman's delight.

The horde that Inko had feared had been largely reduced. Only two cats remained at this point and they were both rather old. An orange tabby named Baron and a large white and brown cat named Muta. Ichi wasn't very impressed with either as neither would play with him.

On one of their days there Inko decided to take Izuku to the frozen pond out back. Auntie Haru had done this with her when she was small and now she could share the experience with Izuku. Haru watched from inside with a smile as Inko placed a pair of skates on her feet before repeating the process with Izuku.

Izuku wasn't entirely sure about this. The whole experience was beginning to remind him of the incident with the train technique as he wobbled on the ice. But his mother was holding his hands and keeping him steady. She grinned down at him and he was sure to return it.

 _"If mom thinks I can do it then it can't be dangerous."_ His thoughts were proven accurate as he and his mother slowly made their way from one side of the pond to the other.

Soon enough Izuku was itching to try on his own and Inko let go of his hands and skated alongside him. He fell a few times but got right back up. After some demonstrations from his mother he was able to keep himself upright and managed to figure out how to stop.

Then he started to go a little faster, his mother keeping up with him all the way. Now he was having fun. His smile was blinding and Inko was certain that this had been the right idea to come here. A thought came to her and grinning cheekily she began to skate circles around her son, going faster than Izuku could possibly go with his few minutes of experience.

Izuku was in awe, he had never seen his mom like this. She was moving all over the ice so quick, doing spins and twirls, and even going backwards from time to time. When she finally stopped it was a harsh one that sent ice shooting up from her skates. Izuku fell on his butt and started to clap.

"That was awesome Mom! How did you do that? Can you teach me how to do that?" The words left Inko feeling bigger than she had in a long time. It was nice to be able to inspire that look in Izuku's eyes. To be able to actually share something with him rather than just being able to give direction like she did with his quirk. Looking down at her son she helped him back up to his feet.

"Sure honey, it just takes practice and time. I spent a lot of breaks here growing up and Auntie Haru taught me how to skate. Now I get to teach you." The loving smile she gave Izuku had his little rosy cheeks pulled back by his own grin as he hugged his mother.

Xxx

All in all the trip was a success. The three of them returned with a feeling of levity that hadn't been there at their initial departure. The ice skating had even given Izuku a new idea for how to use his quirk. One that would be easier to control than the train technique.

He would wait to try that out until later though, when he had more experience skating. Which was exactly what Izuku got to work on, his mother teaching him all she could at a nearby skating rink. This took out a day or two of his usual training but that was ok. He was still training with the number of points he could make whenever he could and had started pushing his range where possible.

This continued throughout his last semester of fifth grade. By the end of it Izuku was a very competent skater and was capable of handling up to sixteen objects at ranges as far twenty meters. Inko was so proud of his progress. This year had been especially rough for the both of them and Izuku had made it out on top despite of it all.

Xxx

A few weeks after Izuku started sixth grade he told his mother that there was something he wanted to try out. After the last time Izuku had attempted a new skill, Inko was naturally concerned about a repeat performance. Izuku had to promise to take it slow and had to explain this new ability one step at a time.

First he would create a set of points on his feet to levitate himself off the floor a bit. Then he would create a second set of points just behind those. This second set was the tricky bit. Izuku had to keep them incomplete and attach them as he went to move forward. Then he would use them one at a time to propel himself forward.

In this way he was able to use the same motions that he had been practicing for months on ice, into practice with his quirk.

When Izuku began to glide along, seemingly skating on air, there was only confidence in his eyes. Inko, unsure as she was at first, began to grin. She had a direct hand in this. She had managed to help her baby get that much closer to his dream.

Izuku moved around the court a few times, testing his speed and maneuverability, before circling around to his mother and coming to a stop. Looking at his mom he showed his pearly whites before giving her a quick hug.

"Thanks mom." Then he was off zooming around the room with his new ability.

"Woohoo!"

Xxxx

Sixth grade was unremarkable with no vast changes. Izuku would practice with his quirk, keep up his grades, do his best to stay out of Bakugo's reach, and study heroes.

The "mag skates" had quickly become one of his favorite things to do with his quirk. It was so freeing to almost literally walk on air. He had a fairly good grasp on the technique, thanks to his time on the ice, and he didn't feel the need to spend time at the rink as often anymore. Izuku now had more time to spend on the aspects of his power that he neglected.

His maximum weight and speed had not improved in some time. Thus they were the two things he worked on the most in regards to his quirk for his sixth grade year. By the end of the year he had buffed these two facets significantly. Now he could send items weighing up to seven kilos as fast as one hundred and ten kilometers an hour. His maximum lift weight had risen to fifty seven kilos in total.

Combined with a successful school year, second place in his class room, no traumatic happenings, deceiving and escaping Bakugo at every turn, and visits to see Aunt Haru during winter and spring breaks, Izuku was confident in saying that it was a year of triumph to make up for the previous year of loss.

 **A/N: Well there we go. Now I am much happier with this chapter and chapter 4 as it is now. Next chapter will be another three year stint and then we'll be moving on to the start of the series. Next chapter will also feature another member of class 1-A. Izuku could use a friend, even if it's just one.**


	6. Chapter 6

To Repel and Attract

 **A/N: Here I am! Anyways I'm glad to see that people are enjoying the story so far. Even though I know some of you are eager for me to get on with it. I'm enjoying myself writing this and I'm happy to know that others are enjoying reading it. Oh and "Guy who may like dragons" don't worry about it. I had been wondering if I had made Izuku strong enough or not. Your review confirmed my own suspicions.**

Chapter 6: Be Heroes! Get the Babes! Wait what?

Izuku sat in his room finishing up his schoolwork for the day. It wasn't exceptionally difficult and he was always on top of his studies. This first week of junior high was proving to be far more enjoyable than elementary had been. He had almost considered talking with some of his new classmates, almost. The new school had provided him with nearly an entirely new set of peers and the potential for a social circle.

But Izuku was fairly set in his ways at this point. It wasn't that he was rude or antisocial, he made sure to smile and be polite whenever approached. It was just that Izuku wasn't sure how to really interact with people his own age any more. He'd spent most of elementary school avoiding his classmates. Still, having the opportunity to gain friends was a pleasant prospect.

It was helped by the fact that though Katsuki was attending the same school, much of the blonde's friend group had largely been split up. Only one of the blonde's followers ended up attending junior high with Izuku and Katsuki. As a result, the stigma that followed Izuku through elementary school did not have the opportunity to take root here. A few of his classmates had even approached him, after noticing his note taking, to ask about making a study group.

Katsuki was still just as much of an ass. Attending junior high didn't do anything to change Katsuki's demeanor. He was still popular with his peers. There was something to be said for the boy's confidence; and his quirk and grades were both exceptional. But Izuku was fully capable of being subtle enough with his quirk to keep Katsuki just outside of arms reach without getting busted. Katsuki could have easily put the hurt on Izuku but not without serious repercussions. He couldn't exactly be sneaky with a quirk that caused explosions.

Lost in thought, his pen stilling, Izuku didn't notice the form hidden on his bed until it struck. Izuku could only jump in surprise as Ichi landed on his school work. Clutching his chest for a moment he gave the cat a deadpan stare.

"Was that really necessary?" Ichi meanwhile merely gave Izuku a look, like the boy was stupid for asking. The feline glanced from his human to the currently closed door.

"Meow." Izuku peeked behind his chair and rolled his eyes.

"Then open it. I've got to finish this up and then I'm gonna head to that new ice rink in Saitama." Ichi once more looked at his foolish two leg.

"Meow!" The boy seemed to have forgotten how this worked.

"Mom's not home right now. So your secret is safe. You know she's going to figure it out eventually. I don't understand why you enjoy messing with her so much." Ichi licked his paw in nonchalant innocence. An act that got a disbelieving snort out of Izuku.

Having plead his innocence Ichi leapt down off the table and approached the closed door. Looking up at the door knob the cat waved its tail forward. The tail stilled for a bit before stretching, then splitting in two, and finally wrapping around the door knob and turning it open to go to the kitchen. Izuku paused in his work for a moment before turning in the direction of his odd pet.

"And stay out of the treats! Mom thinks I'm giving you too many already. Says you're getting fat. Keep it up and she'll stop buying them." The offended noise he got in response left Izuku chuckling.

Xxx

Unfortunately it appeared the date of opening for the ice rink in question was wrong on the website and they wouldn't be open until next week. This left him with a bit of a quandary. He could head home but all of his classwork was done for the weekend. He could go to the center and put some time into training his quirk but he hadn't packed any clothes to work out in. He didn't feel like explaining why he needed new clothes if he ripped any of the ones he was wearing now. So what to do?

The heavens decided to answer as he was passing a school on his walk towards the train station. A light show to his left lit up a far corner of the school's courtyard, a number of yells accompanying it. Was someone working with their quirk?

 _"I'll just take a peek. Not like I have anything better to do."_ Adjusting his bag, Izuku walked towards the site of interest.

Upon reaching his destination though, he came to a rather odd sight. Several older boys were lying on the ground looking worse for wear. Standing nearby them was another boy, wearing the same school uniform as the downed boys. He looked to be Izuku's age. Something about him seemed ….. off. His blond spiky hair was giving off little sparks here and there and he was doing a bizarre dance. Two thumbs up in a good job kind of way the boy did an odd sort of shuffle.

"Yaaay." The voice was a little slow and sounded tired. Getting closer Izuku could see the beginnings of a black eye on the boy.

 _"Wait a second were these guys beating on someone with special needs! What a bunch of sick jerks! Who does something like that? Well good for him, looks like his quirk fried them."_ While Izuku was investigating the scene, one of the downed boys started to get up.

"Damn you Kaminari, that freaking hurt. I'm gonna beat your face into hamburger meat, you little punk."

Izuku wasn't just going to let that happen though. Looking around he saw a waste bin nearby. Using his quirk he reached for the lid before sending it flying into the back of the bully's head. He made sure to not send it at max speed. He wasn't trying to kill the guy just stop him.

A loud metallic bang sounded as the aluminum lid slammed home. The guy hit the ground quick after that and Izuku moved towards the newly known Kaminari. The blond noticed him and gave him another thumbs up.

"Yay!" Izuku smiled and returned the motion. He needed to get Kaminari out of here before those jerks woke up.

"Hey Kaminari-san we should get out of here before they get up. Do you know how to get home? I can help you get there." Kaminari just looked at him for a moment before giving him another thumbs up. Izuku wasn't sure if that was actually a confirmation of the other boy's knowledge or not.

Regardless he grabbed Kaminari by the shoulder and moved them both towards the train station. If nothing else he might be able to get him on the right train or if that wasn't possible he'd bring him home and call the police. They could find Kaminari's house.

Xxxx

That plan wasn't necessary as it turned out. About the time they pulled into the station Kaminari seemed to pull a one eighty. His eyes fell into focus, his movements were more fluid, and his speech began to improve. When they finally got to the train schedule he turned to Izuku.

"Hey man thanks for the save back there." Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin. He hadn't expected the boy to say anything other than "yay".

"Holy crap! I didn't think you could talk!" Kaminari was rather offended.

"Of course I can talk, jackass!"

Izuku laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. Seems he'd jumped to conclusions.

"Sorry about that but earlier all you were saying was yay and you kept giving thumbs up. And you also kind of had this… umm look on your face that made me think that you might have been… never mind." Kaminari got the drift of what was left unsaid though and a cloud of depression fell about him.

"You thought I was retarded didn't you?" Izuku gave off an embarrassed laugh, scratching his cheek.

"W-well I w-wouldn't have put it like that but ….. maybe." Kaminari's head sank. Izuku felt a little bad but that was what it had looked like before. Kaminari thankfully shook out of his slump after a moment.

"Dang that's so embarrassing. I had really hoped I had a better handle on my quirk than that. But those guys all rushed me after class. Pff, all I did was point out the dude's shirt was on backwards at lunch. Not my fault if the rest of his table heard me. Anyways my name's Kaminari Denki, nice to meet ya." He placed his hand out and Izuku shook it in kind.

"I'm Midoriya Izuku, it's nice to meet you too Kaminari-san. So what is your quirk if you don't mind me asking? I saw some electricity sparking off you when I first got there but I didn't see what you actually did." Kaminari perked up a bit.

"My quirk lets me discharge electricity from my body. I can use it like a taser or I can pump out a stupid amount and fry anything within range. But I can't exactly aim it, anyone or anything too close when I go all out is gonna get lit up. Oh and I can use it to power electronics. How about you man? I remember that lid knocking Yuuma in the back of the head pretty hard. How'd you do that?" Now it was Izuku's turn to get excited. He couldn't remember the last time someone had even asked him what his quirk was.

"That's really cool Kaminari-san! I bet there are a ton of different ways you can use a quirk like that. My quirk works like a magnet. I make a set of points and one object or both get pulled towards one another. So all I did was attract the lid to his head." Kaminari looked pretty impressed. Then a thought occurred to him and he started laughing.

Izuku was a little offended, what was so funny about his quirk? Seeing his face though, Kaminari waved him off. The shock user was holding his stomach, laughing as hard as he was.

"His head was attracted to garbage. A true shit head inside and out! Hahahahahaha!" Hearing the explanation Izuku couldn't help but to join in. Ok so that was funny. Kaminari was trying to stop laughing and was coughing a bit.

"Uhh woo that is so good. I'm gonna be holding onto that one forever. So do you live around here or just visiting?" Izuku shook his head.

"I live in Musutafu. I was just visiting to see the new ice rink but they weren't open yet." Kaminari put his chin in his hand thinking.

"Ice rink huh? I think I remember something about that but it's not really my thing. Good thing for me though that they were closed huh?" Izuku nodded back.

"Yeah that might not have ended well. Still I'll have to come back when it's open. I was hoping for some down time. All I've done lately was schoolwork or quirk training. It'll be nice to just skate for the heck of it." Kaminari hmmed.

"Yeah I need my face the way it is. This black eye is bad enough. Got stay pretty for the girls you know. So thanks again man. Hey what are you up to now? We could go to an arcade nearby and play some games." Izuku thought for a bit. He had been considering going home to change into some athletic wear and head over to the center. But he'd never actually been to an arcade before. This could be fun.

"Sure sounds good."

Xxx

Two hours later the boys had enjoyed their time at the arcade. Izuku hadn't done well at first. But after grasping the mechanics he had improved. Kaminari had taken time to point out all the cute girls that were in the arcade. Kaminari had begun doing this more when he noticed how flustered Izuku would get if he pointed out something about the girls. A short skirt, cleavage that was particularly low cut, sometimes just mentioning how the girl walked. It was all very amusing to Kaminari to see Izuku practically shoot steam from how red his face got.

Even with the harmless teasing, Izuku had really enjoyed himself. He had noticed a number of those things about the girls before Kaminari actually mentioned them. Though by bringing specific attention to those things, Izuku actually focused on them. But Kaminari had always given him that stupid grin and waggled his eyebrows with exaggeration to show he was just messing with Izuku.

It had been a good time overall and Izuku was sad to see it come to an end. As they headed back to the train station, Kaminari looked over to see Izuku's down face.

"Hey, so when are you coming back to Saitama? We'll have to do this again some time. Maybe next time we can work you up to actually talking to the girls. Hehehe." Izuku was thrown out of his melancholy in an instant.

"I umm, I don't know but I could probably come back next week." Kaminari nodded in response.

"Well here man let me see your phone for a second. I'll text mine and we can meet up some time and go check out the girls again and play some games or whatever." Izuku was a little stunned.

"Umm sure so long as you don't mind, Kaminari-san." Kaminari blinked for a second before smiling at Izuku.

"Dude it's just Kaminari and of course I don't mind. I was in need of a good wingman. Flying solo can be a dangerous business. Hehehehe. Besides we're friends right?" Izuku had never had a friend before. But this was fantastic. He handed the blond boy his phone.

"Right, of course Kaminari. We'll hang out next week, unless we see each other sooner." Izuku smiled to match his new friend and they both laughed a bit.

Splitting ways at the station, Izuku was ecstatic to head home and share the news with his mom. He had a friend.

Xxxx

Inko had been equally as pleased to see her son in such high spirits and had almost squealed in joy when he told her the reason why. She had been so worried about that aspect of her son's life. So this was welcome news.

The social circle seemed to expand even more at school. Though it was relegated exclusively to study groups. Izuku was still hesitant to approach his peers but he was fine if they approached him.

The week passed and Kaminari and he met up again to repeat what they had done the previous week. Kaminari continued to see if it was possible to make someone's head explode from their face flushing. Izuku was starting to get a handle on it, though he still couldn't bring himself to actually talk to any of the girls.

Xxx

Kaminari quickly became a constant in Izuku's life. They both wanted to be heroes and had aspirations to join UA High. His friend was always good for a laugh and bounced right back from any set back he faced. Regardless of whether it was girls rejecting him, school, or even his quirk, Kaminari proved resilient. He was also very outgoing and personable. It just seemed like he could pick up a conversation with anyone. Heck even with girls, if he didn't start hitting on them.

About halfway through the second semester Izuku had convinced Kaminari to come with him to train their quirks. Kaminari had been very impressed with Izuku's work ethic. The boy just never seemed to stop. Hell Kaminari considered it a win if he got out of bed on time in the morning.

Training with his quirk wasn't anything that Kaminari had really ever felt the need to do. He usually could just flood his quirk out and fry people. But Izuku pointed out that Yuuma had managed to muddle through the shock just enough to have been dangerous if Izuku hadn't shown up. So he had conceded to Izuku's wisdom and joined the other boy at the center.

Unfortunately they hadn't thought about how to train Kaminari's quirk with Izuku in the same court. They sadly had to rent separate courts or risk Izuku getting shock therapy. But the next time Kaminari showed up to train he came with a baton.

Kaminari's father, and only parent in the equation, was actually a police officer. He had approved of his son's decision to train with his quirk and had decided to get him the metal keibo as a gift. Using the baton Kaminari was able to practice using it on some dummies they borrowed from the center. He would run his quirk through the baton and use it as a stungun to send shocks into the dummy or run the current hot at the tip of the baton and aim to burn the wrist or fingers of the dummy.

Near to the end of seventh grade, at the closing of a training session, Kaminari had confided in Izuku that it was because of his dad that he wanted to be a hero. Cops weren't allowed to use their quirks and as a result his father often went into situations knowing that he might face someone with a powerful quirk when he couldn't even use his own. Kaminari wanted to be a hero so that he could help the police and do what they couldn't. That and of course to make lots of money, drive a fast car, and leave a trail of broken hearted super models in his wake.

Izuku had promptly face vaulted at the last bit. Then immediately chucked a nearby mat at his friend when Kaminari had made a comment about maybe having Inko as his hot secretary too.

That had been an interesting meeting.

Now Inko had spent years trying to best prepare her son for his dream. This had included a moderately balanced diet. There were certainly some junk foods in the Midoriya household but they weren't overly common. Combined with picking back up the habit of ice skating, like she had in younger years, left Inko in very good shape. The ice skating in particular had done wonders for her legs, and as Kaminari would point out whenever he really wanted to rile up his friend, her rear as well.

When Kaminari had first come over to his friend's house and met Inko, he had informed Izuku that his mother was the epitome of a house wife fantasy. Izuku had attempted to smother his friend with a pillow. Inko had come in, asking if maybe the door needed to be left open but when she had made the insinuation both boys had leapt away from each other at lightning speed.

The teasing grin she gave the two of them lead Kaminari to consider that maybe he should've been a bit quieter and left him flushed in embarrassment.

Xxx

While Kaminari was his best friend, they didn't go to the same schools. At Orudera Middle school the time went by with acquaintances. He was on friendly terms with a number of his classmates but it never became anything more. Izuku was known as something of a friendly ghost. Only speaking when called upon and always willing to help his classmates with a smile.

Whenever he came in he would exchange greetings with a few of his classmates and when he left they would exchange farewells. Outside of class he met with a study group twice a week for an hour.

Oddly enough Bakugo had stopped harassing Izuku at school. There was no truce agreed upon or anything like that. The explosive boy had simply stopped bothering him. Izuku was fairly certain that his old antagonist was focusing on expanding his own quirk and seriously preparing for his future as a pro hero. A rather terrifying thought if Izuku was honest with himself.

Xxx

By the end of his seventh grade year Izuku had put some serious effort into his quirk. Kaminari had proven to be rather creative and was helpful in coming up with different ways in which to exercise his quirk. The end result was that Izuku was able to influence items weighing up to seventy one kilos, launching those of nine kilos or less at speeds upwards of one hundred fifteen kilometers an hour. His range seemed to be the most difficult part of his quirk to increase, as it had only extended two meters throughout the year to a total of twenty two. On the flip side Izuku found that it was becoming easier and easier to make more sets of points. With the conclusion of the year Izuku had increased by fifty percent from sixteen to twenty four sets of points.

Outside of expanding the limitations of his quirk, Izuku worked extensively with his mag skates. His time on the ice had left him with a fair bit of stamina and a lean figure. His upper body wasn't very strong but that much skating had left him with powerful legs. He could easily reach and maintain a speed of twenty five kilometers an hour for long periods and could push it to fifty kilometers an hour in short bursts. He had also begun work on a technique for offensive purposes. He could of course just chuck an object within reach at a target but he wanted something that packed a bit more of a punch. To that end he had been working on two new abilities. Neither was really ready yet however.

Kaminari hadn't been idle either. His time with Izuku had been good for him and he had put more work into understanding his quirk than he would've done otherwise. He had become fairly competent with the baton and his father had offered to instruct him in taiho jutsu in the following year. His own abilities with electrification had improved as well. He was beginning to get a better idea of just how long he could use his quirk before it fried his brain. Slowly but surely he was extending the time with which he could maintain his quirk at a distance. He was pretty proud of himself. Even if it did mean that Izuku had to take him home, yaying the whole way, on occasion.

The two had even spent a few training sessions working on combining their quirks. Using some training dummies Izuku would pull them forward or mimic having them trip. Then Kaminari would come in from the side and slap them with an electric keibo to the ribs. They were still unsure as to if they could incorporate Kaminari's ranged attacks. Neither was really in a rush to see Izuku toasted.

Xxx

With the passing of seventh grade the boys knew they were closing in on the UA hero exams. Or rather Izuku knew and was quick to remind Kaminari. Who in turn looked at his friend like he was nuts. The boys were currently over at Kaminari's place sitting at the living room table. Izuku biting his nails in a frenzy.

"Midoriya, you have got to chill out man. The entrance exam isn't even available until close to the end of ninth grade, just like all the other high school exams. We just started eighth a month ago. We've got time, seriously I'm the one that should be worried not you. You're grades are always top mark. I'm the one that needs to hit the books. Speaking of which." Reaching down he pulled a thick textbook and some printed sheets out of his bag.

"Will you please help me with this math work? I can't wrap my head around this junk and I can't afford to bomb this class. Please man?" Kaminari was quick to bow in a pleading fashion.

Izuku snapped out of his own funk to look at his friend and smiled. Kaminari could be such a drama queen some times.

"Of course! Let's see what you're working on and we can go over it." Kaminari stopped bowing to hold out his fist to Izuku.

"Yes! Best wingman ever! Knew I could count on you."

Xxx

Eighth grade went much as seventh did and Izuku was still near to the top of his class. He and Kaminari spent a good amount of time at the center working on their quirks. When they weren't there the two of them would go to the arcade or a café where Kaminari usually spent at least half his time there hitting on girls or trying to get Izuku to do so. Most of the girls at those locations became used to these antics and merely rolled their eyes at the two of them. A few would giggle at something Kaminari or Izuku said, but the boys were waved off like cute puppies. Occasionally Kaminari would join Izuku in skating at the rink, though it probably took him longer than it should have to learn to skate. His attention too divided by the girls that also went there.

The boys continued to both train and study for their futures, unwilling to leave the fulfillment of their dreams to chance. By the time they graduated from eighth grade, Izuku was no longer feeling as concerned about the UA Exams as he had been. Kaminari would catch him occasionally lost in thought with a frown on his face, a sure sign his buddy was stressing over something, and tell Izuku to knock it off. Izuku always just sheepishly rubbed the back of his head at being caught.

By the end of the year Izuku could activate as many as thirty six different sets of points, manipulating as much as eighty eight kilos, and launch objects of eleven kilos or less at speeds nearing one hundred and twenty kilometers an hour. The only set back was that Izuku was only able to extend his range by an additional meter, putting him up to a range of twenty three in total. He was beginning to think that maybe that was a facet of his quirk that was reaching its limit.

Izuku had determined that going any faster than he had been the previous year with his mag skates was just too exhausting to maintain so he kept himself to those limitations. He did however experiment with different ways that he could use the skates. Attaching himself to the wall to skate up it had been a brilliant idea. Or so he had thought at first. The problem was that gravity still worked. He ended up finding that it was easier to use his abilities to let him "stick" to the wall and climb up that way. Not as cool as running up it would have been. But hey you win some you lose some.

Finally Izuku had come up with a new way to use his quirk. One he was grateful to Kaminari for. When the subject of schools had come up at one point, Katsuki had inevitably come up in conversation. Kaminari wasn't aware of how much of an ass the Bakugo kid had been in the past. But when the topic of how the animosity began started up, Kaminari questioned why Izuku had never done that in their training.

"Done what?" Izuku wasn't quite sure what to make of the question.

"Made like magnetic punches or something. I've seen you throw stuff plenty of times but I've never seen you hit anything with it. So how come you don't do that anymore? Did it hurt your hand or something?" Izuku had to pause at the question.

Why didn't he use it to hit anything? Thinking about it the answer was obvious. He had relegated himself to being a more ranged based fighter. He didn't enjoy fighting like others might have. Getting up close took a level of aggression that Izuku lacked. Still that didn't mean he had to physically hit someone to use his ability.

Which brought him to making a backup technique. He would create a point set with one point near the target, and another on the target's person. Usually the legs as they were closest to the ground. Then he would proceed to activate the set giving a harsh and quick repel. The result was the location feeling like the person had walked into something. Kaminari, in a moment of bravery volunteered to be a test dummy, had described it as running into the corner of a desk.

While not a terribly strong attack, it allowed Izuku to put some more distance between himself and any opponent he might face.

Combined with another technique had developed for improving the speed with which he could repel ranged projectiles and Izuku was feeling more and more confident for his time ahead.

Only one more year until he could officially take his first steps to becoming a hero.

Time would tell if that confidence was misplaced or not.

 **A/N: Who saw Kaminari being the friend? Bet it wasn't many. He's a character that tends to get swept to the side a bit. Admittedly not as much as some of the others *cough, koda and sato cough* but we still have next to nothing on his life outside of UA. I wanted a friend that was more outgoing than Izuku that would help to bring Izuku out of his social seclusion without becoming a crutch that Izuku would rely on. I felt like Kaminari would be capable of doing that. That plus electricity and magnets. It seemed too funny to not have them be friends. Kaminari is also somewhat girl crazy, without being a creep like Mineta. It'll be fun to have him point out to Izuku exactly what Izuku is thinking in regards to some of his female classmates.**

 **As far as pairings go? I have absolutely no idea. But for those of you who might lose their minds over yaoi/yuri, relax. That won't happen with Izuku. There are plenty of Todoroki/Izuku fics on here already and that's really the only one that I could see happening. I love crack pairings and BNHA has given us ample opportunities to go off of to make a number of Izuku's classmates plausible. So we'll see what happens. Feel free to leave a review if you want to put in your two cents on the matter. Maybe I'll listen, maybe I won't. My muse is whimsical when it comes to romance.**

 **Anyways thank you everyone for all of your reviews, follows, and favs! Until next time this is Sickle signing off.**

 **Next chapter:**

 **An Idol Meeting and The Time to Go Beyond!**


	7. Chapter 7

To Repel and Attract

 **A/N: Holy crap that last chapter got a pretty big response from people. I'm glad to see that you all are enjoying the story. Thank you all so much for your kind reviews and of course your favs and follows.**

 **This chapter is a monster. I've also had a lot of stuff going on right now. Work issues, family issues, a D &D session to play, and parties to attend. But I do aim to deliver. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to My Hero Academia**

Chapter 7: An Idol Meeting and The Time to Go Beyond!

Nearly two months of his last year in junior high gone. Two months closer to the beginning of the first leg of his true journey. He would be a hero, the best hero, with a smile on his face just like All Might. Closing his eyes for a solemn moment Izuku thought of the people that had helped him achieve everything they had. Raising his head he moved forward through the school courtyard, his thoughts drifting.

His mother had been the starting point. When she had doubted him for that one brief terrible moment, it had hurt. He couldn't deny the feeling of that world shattering moment when she had told him how much she wished things could be different. But the moment he had displayed his quirk, she had done everything in her power to make it right. His mother had put so much effort into supporting him that Izuku knew that, regardless of that awful moment, his mother wanted nothing more than to see him succeed. She would get scared from time to time, what mother wouldn't be scared for their baby. His life's goal, his dream, would place him square in the crosshairs of the worst the world had to offer. Despite all of that, despite her fear and anxiety, his mother had stuck by him. Had taken every opportunity she had to give him any advantage she could.

 _"And of course"_ looking down Izuku gazed at his hands and the life giving essence that ran through the veins in his arms _"without her blood running through my veins, I wouldn't have the power to make that dream a reality."_ Smiling to himself, he clenched his fist as he walked towards class. Along the way he continued considering the others who had helped him along the way.

Ichi would probably be next on that list. By saving that black furred little kitten, Izuku had taken his first step to believing that his dream was possible. It reaffirmed his belief that what he wanted the most out of this life was to help people with his quirk. When those bright blue eyes had looked up at him with gratitude, it had filled Izuku with a warmth that he would never forget. Ichi may have just been a black cat stuck under some sticks, but to Izuku that two tailed little troublemaker turned Izuku's dream into a goal. Demanding little furball he might be, but Ichi would want for nothing so long as it was in Izuku's power to give. He owed the feline that much and more for making his goal seem achievable.

Now in the classroom, Izuku waved to the few acquaintances that he kept on especially good terms with. Sitting down with the same smile he had most days, he continued with his thoughts. The smile became far more melancholy in nature as he reached the next person on his list.

Aunt Haru was always a kind soul and offered him and his mother a great deal of help. Without her Inko might not have been able to be as directly supportive of Izuku's dream. He would always be grateful to her for that. It still hurt to think about her. Even now, three months after her passing. She had always believed Izuku when he said he would be a hero someday. Izuku wished she could have made it to see him get there. But at eighty five she had passed in her sleep. Aunt Haru had left them everything. A fair amount of money and of course the cottage. It would be strange going there this year. If they did go there this year.

As the teacher started roll call, Izuku came to the last person on his own list. Kaminari, his best friend. It had only been two years now but it seemed so much longer.

Kaminari could be a girl crazy, cocky fool. But he was a good friend. Always ready with a laugh and far more outgoing than Izuku. Kaminari pushed Izuku to be more social and spend time doing something that wasn't related to being a hero. Getting caught up in his notes, schoolwork, and training with his quirk, Izuku would occasionally go dark for a few days. Only for Kaminari to come over, Inko giggling in anticipation of the coming antics, kick open Izuku's door and drag his recluse of a friend into the daylight. This had been on occasion, quite literal. Izuku's grin widened as he considered the many afternoons the two had spent together over the past two years. Despite the amount of blood flow that usually flooded his poor cheeks by the end of those days, Izuku considered those times amongst his favorite. He still struggled to hold a conversation with a girl but at least he didn't completely freeze up. Easier to deal with girl's his own age when Izuku considered some of the things Kaminari got him to say to girls that must have been high school seniors.

Cheeks slightly pink in remembrance, Izuku had to shake his head to loosen the memories from his mind. Class was starting after all. It wouldn't do to get poor grades from inattention now. Not when he was so close to the finish line.

Xxx

The end of the day was coming up. Just a few minutes out actually, but it looked like the teacher had an announcement to make. There was a stack of papers in his grasp.

Blonde with a receding hair line and wearing a sweater vest and jacket ensemble, the man almost looked grim as he gazed at his students.

"Well class, as this is your last year of junior high; I suppose I should pass out these career aptitude tests. But why bother?" A number of students began flexing their quirks in anticipation. Hair growing, rocks forming, and more started up around the room.

"I know you're all aiming for the hero course!" Having said this their teacher tossed the stack of papers in the air. A bright smile spreading across the man's face.

This resulted in pandemonium throughout the classroom as almost everyone started displaying their quirks. Izuku could only chuckle at his peers' exuberance. Their teacher found the energy in his class just as amusing it seemed. He could hardly keep the laughter out of his voice trying to reprimand them.

"Yes, yes you all have some very impressive quirks. Now calm down, no quirk usage in class." It seemed that one of the students had a little more to say about this. Bakugo's ego wouldn't allow him to just let his peers carry on like they had a chance of being in his league.

"Hey teach, don't lump me in with these extras. I'm the real deal. The rest of these losers will be lucky to make it as sidekicks for some D lister." The reaction this particularly inflammatory statement provoked was likely Bakugo's intention.

"You think you're better than us?!"

"Screw you Bakugo!"

"Get over yourself!"

Bakugo cackled and responded without concern.

"Bring it on, I'll take all you extras at once! Or you could all just shut up and act like the extras you are!" Bakugo hadn't changed much it seemed.

Izuku looked at his old antagonist and shook his head. While the blond had stopped coming after him halfway through their first year of junior high, it hadn't changed his position amongst the rest of the class. Not everyone in the class liked him, his general demeanor was far too abrasive, but almost all of the class respected him. His confidence was unending and his quirk and test scores were both top notch. A fact the teacher had not forgotten.

"Ah Katsuki, you're looking to go to U.A. High aren't you? You've got some pretty impressive test scores. Maybe you will make it in." The announcement of Bakugo's intended high school destination, quieted down much of the class outrage.

"Dang he's aiming for the national school?"

"Don't they have like a two percent acceptance rate?"

"Man that's nuts. Freaking blowhard showing us up."

The dismayed murmurs only served to further fan Bakugo's ego and he was quick to hop up on his desk to better crow.

"That's right losers. I aced the mock tests. I'm the only one here with the skill and grades that U.A. is looking for. I'll surpass All Might himself to become the next number one and be one of richest men in the world!" Their teacher seemed to be enjoying the chaos he continued to stir though.

"Not quite the only one Katsuki. Izuku is also applying for U.A., aren't you? His grades were just as impressive. Gotta say nothing would make me happier than to know that two of my students managed to make it into such a prestigious school!" The man looked as though he was about to hug himself as the rest of the room began to murmur with even further vigor.

"Seriously? Midoriya is aiming for U.A. as well?"

"I knew he was smart but I didn't know he was that good."

"Wait what's his quirk again? I don't think I've ever seen him use it."

The stares were a little bothersome and the whispers were rather uncalled for he felt. Izuku wasn't used to being the center of attention. So he did what he had done for years, gave that same calm smile and just nodded to his peers. Many of whom smiled back in response, a girl or two even blushing in response. Izuku was glad to see he wasn't the only one embarrassed by the situation. Oh Izuku, silly boy.

Many of his peers could attribute their current grades to the study groups that Izuku lead twice a week. He had proven calm and patient with any that had attended. It was obvious he wasn't the most social guy by the way he might fumble with his words but he had never failed to get the point across.

Bakugo had been frozen in place from the moment the teacher had not only denied him his single spot of stardom but also named Izuku as his competition. Creaking his head back, Bakugo looked at his apparent rival. There it was; that same stupid grin. What did that loser have to grin about? Hopping down from his desk, Bakugo walked over to Izuku to stare down at him.

Izuku stared back, not giving Bakugo an inch. He wasn't scared of Bakugo. They had been doing this song and dance for years. The physical harassment might have ended their first year here but Bakugo wasn't above trying to intimidate Izuku. So keeping the same smile on his face Izuku looked Bakugo in the eyes.

"Was there something I could help you with Bakugo-san?"

Bakugo's eyes narrowed at the question. There was no fear in those eyes, no respect, nothing but polite consideration. That pissed him off.

"DAMN YOU DEKU!" Slamming his hand down on Izuku's desk he brought up a series of small explosions. The rest of the class all gasped, a few even sliding back to get farther away. Izuku had jumped out of his chair to keep from getting burned. Keeping Bakugo in his sights, he glanced around the room. It didn't look like anyone had been hurt. Not surprising; if Bakugo wanted to be a hero he couldn't have a record.

"Hah see you freaking nerd! I wasn't going to burn you but you still jumped back like a weakling. You can't be a hero if you aren't fearless." Bakugo smirked at his green haired prey. At this point the teacher stepped in.

"Alright boys, that's enough. Katsuki return to your seat. Izuku could you please put down the desks?" Bakugo was confused. Izuku wasn't holding a desk.

Scoffing, Bakugo turned to go back to his seat. At that moment the reason for the earlier request from the teacher became clear. Hovering to his sides and what would have been just behind him previously, were several of his classmates' desks. His head jerked back to Deku as the other boy was sitting back down. Izuku on noticing the eyes upon him only smiled once more. Bakugo's knuckles whitened as his fists clenched in rage.

" _Sooner or later Deku, we'll see who's stronger. And I can't wait to crush you. I'll wipe that stupid smile right off your face!"_ Bakugo's thought kept to himself, he returned to his seat.

The classroom was silent for the rest of what little bit of time they had before final period. It seemed that Izuku had unintentionally changed the ways in which his classmates saw him. Thinking about it he wasn't sure if he had ever used his quirk around his peers. Glancing around, he checked on his classmates. Making sure to smile just as always when they caught his eye. This seemed to be right course of action as most seemed to return the gesture before turning back. A few seemed less appeased by the action and Izuku could only sigh in disappointment.

To his side he noticed one of his frequent study group attendees, Kamiya-san, taking furtive glances in his direction. It wasn't altogether unusual for the red headed girl to look towards him. She had attended his sessions more than most. Izuku thought they were almost friends. Looking directly at the girl he made sure to send a smile, hoping to make it clear he was still the same Izuku. When Kamiya realized she had been caught and saw Izuku smiling at her, her whole face flushed. Her face snapped back forward towards her desk; an odd expression on her face. Now Izuku was feeling down.

" _Well that could have gone better. Thanks Bakugo, freaking jerk. Now you've got Kamiya-san afraid of me."_ So caught up in his internal musings, Izuku failed to notice the interaction between Kamiya-san and the girl a few seats in front of her.

The brunette Izumi glanced back at her friend, wiggled her eyebrows, and winked one of her eyeliner underlined eyes at her friend. Kamiya could only sink her face into her arms to try and hide her face. Poor, sweet, naïve Izuku. If only you weren't dense as a brick.

Xxx

Izuku was not pleased about the outcome of today's little escapade. True a number of his peers had come up to him after to inquire after his quirk but several had distanced themselves from him. He had tried to approach Kamiya-san later but the girl had quickly excused herself citing some chore or another that required her attention back at home. Which sucked because he had to work up the courage to approach her in the first place.

Passing under a bridge he sighed at the unfortunate circumstances.

"Stupid freaking Bakugo. Seriously, what is wrong with him? I thought we were past all that. At least the physical confrontations. I wouldn't have even picked up the desks if he hadn't gotten right in my face. Probably not my best move in hindsight. I should have just skated backwards." Muttering to himself as he walked, Izuku failed to notice the man hole behind him raise up.

One moment he was muttering to himself and the next Izuku found goo holding him firm in the grasp of some kind of sludge villain. A greenish liquid covered much of his body and mouth. Izuku began to struggle with all he had.

"Not much point in that kid. Relax I just need a meat puppet for a while. Don't fight me and this will be over all the sooner." This of course did nothing to stall Izuku's struggling.

 _"I'm gonna die, shit I'm gonna die. Wait, wait not yet. I have too much to do."_ Izuku's eyes narrowed and closed as his resolve firmed.

Placing all thirty two sets of points all on the body swarming around him, Izuku grit his teeth and forced them all to repel with everything he had. A series of splashes sounded throughout the underpass. The weight lifted off Izuku and he gasped for air. Opening his eyes, he looked around. There were pieces of sludge here and there all over the tunnel. Breathing heavily he was starting to feel the excitement of victory wash over him.

"Not bad kid, but I don't need a meat puppet that can fight back. I'm running out of time." Izuku's body went rigid as he turned his head to see the form of the villain, swiss cheese like holes quickly refilling.

All too soon Izuku was back in that slimy grasp. This time it seemed that no thought would be given to how subtle his demise would be. Izuku was slammed back and forth across the walls of the tunnel. His brain was shook like a maraca as his head bashed against concrete.

"I didn't know that he was in the city. I can't go up against someone on his level."

Izuku was starting to black out. His eyes began to roll back in his head.

 _"Is this it?"_

 **"** Fear not! **For I am here!"** The symbol of peace, All Might stood there. Two sets of eyes widened upon the sight. One in hope and the other in fear.

Lashing out the villain took a swing at the top hero. All in vain, as the hero ducked under the blow and rushed in. Arm drawn back, the mountain of a man swung.

 **"Texas SMASH!"** The resulting force blew the sludge villain away, releasing Izuku from his grasp.

 _"All Might. No way…"_ The pain and lack of oxygen combined took its toll and Izuku passed out.

Xxx

Eyes fluttering open, Izuku began a mental check list.

 _"White sheets, white walls, and white curtains. Yep I'm in the hospital."_ There to the chair at his side was his sleeping mother.

Settling back into the pillows, Izuku considered what happened.

 _"Can't exactly call that a dream. Not with my head feeling this sore. Well this day could have gone better. Still on the upside I got to see All Might in action!"_ Izuku shook with excitement as the memory came to him once more.

Then promptly stopped as the ringing in his head became too much to bear. The pain brought to mind his own actions.

 _"I put so much work into my training. I've made this power my own. But it still wasn't enough. That villain slung me around like a rag doll. I'm still not strong enough. Dammit."_

Slamming his fist against the sheets, Izuku grit his teeth in frustration. The failure weighed heavily upon him. It was so wrong. Like he had wasted all that time.

Izuku's thoughts were interrupted as the door to room slid open. There stood Kaminari, a bag of snacks and beverages in his hands. Upon seeing his friend awake, the spiky haired blond grew a grin.

"Izuku! It's good to see you awake man. You've been out of it for a whole day now. Had us all pretty worried. Freaked me out pretty good when your mom called me. How you feeling?" Izuku for his part gave his friend a smile. Dependable as always, that Denki.

"I'm alright. My head is sore but I guess it could have been a lot worse. Good thing All Might showed up when he did." Izuku's face fell a bit as his mind returned to its previous train of thought. Denki noticing his friend's face, moved to see what he could do. He was interrupted however by a stirring Inko.

Inko had not had a peaceful night. Worrying over her injured son had seen the poor woman staying up late into the night. When Denki had come in to see his bedridden friend a few hours previously, he had unintentionally woken the woman. Still groggy from the restless night's rest Inko gratefully took up the boy's offer to grab something to eat.

Now woken to her son's cognizant state, Inko was quick to wrap her arms around Izuku.

"Oh my gosh, Izuku! Baby how are you feeling? I was so worried." Inko was almost in hysterics at this point as the waterworks started.

Izuku looked at his mother and returned the hug. Smiling down at his her, he assured her of his wellbeing.

"I'm fine mom. I promise, my head is just a little sore. That's all. All Might saved me before anything could get too serious." He hoped his mother would calm down at least a little. The hospital gown was rather thin and her tears were already soaking through.

Sniffling, Inko promptly smothered her son as if to hide him from the world and protect him from its dangers. Izuku's flailing showed his disapproval of his current form of restraint. This was made all the worse for Izuku's dignity as Denki began to laugh at his friend's predicament.

It was this scene that played out as an unexpected guest walked into the room.

"Well it's good to see you in such high spirits, young Midoriya!"Three heads snapped to the larger than life figure that now stood in the doorway.

Three sets of jaws dropped a little. The Symbol of Peace was standing in the doorway to Izuku's hospital room.

 _"Holy shit!"_

 _"All Might!"_

 _"Oh my!"_

Izuku was the first to get over his star struck awe. The man's presence was a little easier to deal with after the shock of his first introduction to him.

"All Might! W-what b-brings you here?" It was certainly a surprise to the say the least.

"Hmm, well now I wanted to make sure you were alright young man. I rushed you to the hospital as fast as I could but I had to bring that dastardly villain to the police. I am glad to see you in good health. You have my deepest apologies for not reaching you sooner." All Might bowed his head to the young man in the bed.

The other occupants of the room widened their eyes at seeing this. Izuku frantically began waving his arms around in opposition to the act.

"I-it wasn't your fault All Might! If you hadn't been there then I might not be alive now. I wasn't able to stop him on my own…." The forlorn look returned to Izuku's face. Inko wasn't going to let that go.

"Izuku! You're just a child. You shouldn't feel upset for not being able to fight off someone that All Might himself had to stop. Isn't that right All Might?" She looked to the man pleading for his assistance in the matter.

For his part, the large man was stunned for a moment. He hadn't gotten a good look at the woman when he walked in. Now that he could though, it was like looking at a ghost.

 _"Shimura-sensei? No not quite. This woman is shorter, but still."_ The silence had been just long enough to become awkward and All Might quickly went to break it.

"Ahem, yes of course. Your mother is right lad! If stopping villains were easy, then heroes like me wouldn't be needed. Hahaha!" While meant well this didn't seem to have the desired effect. Izuku looked to be even more downtrodden.

"A hero like you huh? That's my dream. That's what I've spent so many hours training and studying for. I've worked so hard and it wasn't enough. Am I still too weak?"

Inko moved to comfort him but All Might responded before she could reach Izuku.

"Young Midoriya, your dream is admirable and if that is your aim then do not let this defeat stop you. With a dream like that I assume you will be attending U.A.?" Izuku nodded in confirmation.

"Then do not fear my boy! At that fantastic institution of learning you will find individuals capable of guiding you to your goals!" Thumb up, teeth shining in a classic nice guy pose.

Considering all the things that had happened recently, on top of meeting his idol in person, Izuku was more than a little emotional. His eyes started to leak and he smiled to himself. Rubbing his eyes, he made that smile widen and looked to his hero.

"Thank you All Might. I promise I'll keep smiling, I'll be a hero that shows everyone it's alright! I'll get into U.A. and I'll become the best hero!" While his eyes did not betray his feelings, All Might was reeling on the inside.

 _"First his mother and now the boy himself! Shimura-sensei why are you determined to haunt me today? Could this boy be the one?"_ Looking at the grinning boy, All Might took in the faces of the boy's mother and friend.

The mother was smiling softly at her son. Pride was evident on her face, mixed with fear. It was obvious how much she loved her son and in that moment the pride she felt for her boy's conviction warred with her concern for his safety.

The blonde boy had a wide grin on his face. There was pride there, but more so there was camaraderie. A brotherly bond made between two friends headed down similar paths. These boys, it was clear to All Might just from that look, would have one another's backs through whatever ordeals came their way.

It wasn't much to go off of but it was a strong start. The feelings that permeated the room with the boy's declaration, combined with the memories of his fallen predecessor were great indicators pointing to this young man showing the signs of a potential successor.

 _"Still, I can't allow those feelings to influence my decision. I'll keep an eye on the boy and if he proves himself then I will make my choice. I know that Principal Nezu and Nighteye had another student they wanted me to inspect, so I will withhold my judgement for now."_

"That's the spirit my boy! Train hard and remember the school motto; Go Beyond, Plus Ultra! I hope to see you making good on that promise soon! Good luck. Now I'm afraid I must leave." Turning to dash out the door, Inko stepped quickly to grab the man.

"Wait! Please, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for saving my baby and for your kind words." She gave a swift bow of the head and a grateful smile to the number one hero.

All Might was at a loss. This woman just reminded him too much of his old master. Were his cheeks turning pink? Nope, nope, nope it was time to go.

"Hahaha there's no need to thank me. Now I must be going, take care now!" With that All Might left to whence he came, disappearing at a rapid pace.

The three left behind could only look on in curiosity at the haste of the exit. Inko shook her head and informed the boys she would go grab a nurse to see if Izuku was ok to go home. When she left the room Denki looked to his friend with a sly grin.

"See not even the number one hero is immune to the charms of the hot housewife." A pillow making contact with his face was the immediate response.

Laughing together for a moment, Izuku looked down at his hands as Denki began to empty the bag of snacks he had been holding. Looking up to his bed bound friend Denki noticed a contemplative look on his friend's face.

"You're not still worrying about the villain attack are you? Izuku seriously let it go. I bet you gave it a good shot. We don't have any formal training, so it's understandable that you got knocked out. That's why we're aiming for U.A. remember?" Izuku looked at his best friend and gave him a small smile before looking down at his palms.

"Denki, we need to get stronger. I need to get stronger. I don't just want to be a hero, I want to be a hero that everyone smiles at the moment I walk in the room. That no matter what the situation is, I want my mere presence to bring relief. If I'm going to do that, then I need to be stronger." Denki's eyes had gone round at the proclamation. He blinked for a moment, and then whistled in appreciation.

"Wow, if you keep talking like that, you're going to get me amped up. Alright if that's what you wanna do, then I'm in. Let's do it. I'm not sure if I can get that far myself but if that's your goal then I'll stick with you as far as I can." Denki held out a closed fist to Izuku a bright confident grin pulling across his face.

Izuku brought his own fist to bump against his friend's.

"Yeah, let's take this to the next level!" Those words coming from the green haired would be hero, marked the start of ten months of grueling training. The boys would push themselves to their limits and beyond on a near daily basis.

Xxxx

Ten Months Later

Izuku Midoriya gazed up at the looming visage that was U.A. High. This was it. Denki and he had worked themselves to the bone. If they weren't ready at this point, then Izuku wasn't sure if they'd ever be.

The training had paid off in a number of ways. New techniques, further control of old ones, restrictions lifted, and stronger forms. They weren't terribly noticeable but both boys had certainly put on muscle mass.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of distractions of the past, Izuku took a steadying breath to make his way forward. Seems he wasn't the only one anxious to get in though. He missed an antagonistic presence coming up from behind him.

"Move it Deku!" A shoulder checked into Izuku as Bakugo shoved his way past.

Izuku began to slip, Bakugo had caught him midstep with that check. The ground coming towards him, Izuku wasn't concerned. Reaching out he placed a point to reject himself back up onto his feet. Unfortunately this was done at the same time as a helping hand reached out and tapped him to stave off his fall.

The result was that instead of merely placing Izuku back on his feet, the point fired him up into the air, ass over teakettle, straight into one of the arches above. His back slammed into concrete, the pain completely negligent in comparison to the odd sensation of suddenly being weightless. Bakugo had stopped to laugh at his now floating rival. The individual responsible for the circumstance Izuku now found himself in wasn't finding the situation as funny.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. I just meant to stop you from falling. I don't know what happened, here I'll get you down."

Now Izuku noticed a girl with brown hair placing her finger tips together. Which was the point at which he dropped.

Not ready for gravity to simply turn back on, Izuku flailed his arms wildly and fell face first into the ground. The air left his lungs upon impact and Izuku lay there trying to regain some of his breath back. Bakugo was clutching his sides at this point laughing uproariously at the other boy's misfortune.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA oh god that is good. Hey Deku if you can't make it here, you should look into becoming a clown!" The blond turned, still cackling to himself and moved towards the building.

The girl that had previously been noticed turned in the blonde's direction with cheeks puffed in irritation.

"It's not funny you jerk!" This only served to increase the cackling once more from Bakugo. Ignoring the braying jackass, the girl rushed back to Izuku. She bent down to try and help the boy to his feet.

"I am so sorry. I really didn't mean to hurt you. Please tell me you're alright." Izuku propped himself up and steadied his breathing. Now that he was breathing properly he could get a better look at her.

Brown shoulder length hair, brown eyes, pink cheeks, and relatively short. And as she got right within his personal space to help him up, he noticed she was quite cute. His face began to burn up as she wrapped her hands around his arm. Rising quickly to his feet he waved off the girl's apologies. She looked close to tears over the incident. There was no way he would be able to not freak out if she started crying.

"I-I'm fine. P-promise there's n-no reason to worry." The girl calmed down enough to let go of his arm. Still standing as close as she was left Izuku flustered. Talking to girls was still a struggle. One that Denki loved to tease him over.

"Whew that's a relief. I don't know what I would've done with myself if I hurt someone and they weren't able to attend the exam. I mean this is already so nerve wracking and I've already messed up. I really am sorry, I'm Uraraka Ochaco. Please accept my apology." The girl was certainly energetic as she bowed her head in apology.

Izuku frantically waved off the apology once more. He didn't want anyone feeling guilty on his behalf. Especially over an accident of all things.

"I-it's fine Uraraka-san, d-don't worry about it. I may not look it but I-m pretty sturdy. I'm Midoriya Izuku and it's nice to meet you. Regardless of how our first meeting went. We should go though, or we'll be late." Izuku flexed that smile that he'd used for years now to assure her that he was fine and all was forgiven.

Uraraka calmed and her own smile rose to match that of the boy's in front of her. In a snap Izuku's words registered with her and she gasped.

"Oh, oh, oh shoot! Umm, I'll see you inside alright. I really don't want to be late. See you later Midoriya-san!" Booking it to the building that held the testing facility, Uraraka vanished pretty quickly.

Chuckling to himself at the girl's enthusiasm Izuku began his own way to the testing facility. Only to have a hand placed on his shoulder.

"Oh padawan, so close and yet so far. See that right there? That was the perfect time to ask for her number. But props for not clamming up and actually talking to her." Izuku rolled his eyes at the sound of that voice. Only Denki. Such wit could only be met in kind.

"Oh do forgive me master Denki. I am clearly unworthy of the teachings that you have bestowed upon me. I will of course do my best to someday achieve the grace with which you court women." Denki took it all in with a smug grin.

"See! Now once you get that down maybe you'll actually be able to have a decent conversation with the cutie that almost shot you into the sky." Izuku huffed as his cheeks pinkened.

"It was an accident. We both used our quirks at the same time. Oh and I did manage to talk to her. So bite me."

Denki laughed at his friend's embarrassment. Throwing his arm around his buddy's shoulder the two of them walked inside.

Xxx

"Welcome to today's live performance! Everybody say "Hey"! Present Mic was on point today. Or so he thought.

Not a sound was heard throughout the hall. The written portion of the tests had just concluded an hour ago and everyone was still in classroom mode. The idea of shouting anything right now was utterly alien to any of them.

"Well that's cool, my examinee listeners! I'm here to present the guidelines of your practical! Are you ready?" More silence. "YEAH!"

Izuku was struggling to keep himself quiet. Sitting next to Denki they both were rather giddy over the fact that a famous pro was presenting them with the practical guide. Izuku more so than Denki but both boys listened to the pro's radio show.

"Alright listeners, here's what we've got scheduled for you today! You will all be separated into seven groups and driven to different sites in order to take part in "Mock Battles". Ya dig?" A large display screen behind the hero showed a graphic featuring seven letters each leading to a testing site.

More silence. Or at least no one responded directly. Here and there some students were conversing in hushed tones with their neighbors. Including Denki and Izuku.

"So that's what all the letters on the handouts meant. What was yours again Izuku?" Denki looked at his own sheet showing he had battle site F.

"I have B. Looks like we won't be able to work together on this one."

Present Mic looked around to make sure the information had sunken in, continued with the presentation.

"Now then each site is filled with three different kinds of faux villians. Points are awarded for defeating each according to their respective difficulty levels." The display screen changed to show a small city and three icons indicating the villains. The icons used however…

"*snort* Izuku we're playing Mario Bros. Look at the two pointer though. Hahaha if you smash a few of those and use the technique you've been working on then it'll be like you picked up a triple shell in Mario Kart!" Denki just couldn't take the exam all that seriously now.

Izuku himself was having a hard time choking down his laughs. Thinking about it, this would be a good chance to show what he could do.

"Alright, alright kiddies, now you can bring whatever you want to these games but you've only got ten minutes to earn as many points as you can. So choose your targets wisely. But check it! Make sure you're keeping things heroic! Attacking other examinees is a U.A. no-no you hear?" Present Mic continued the presentation with all of his typical flair. Izuku meanwhile turned to Denki or more specifically the two dark metal sixty centimeter long rods strapped to his sides.

"I know it was already cleared but it's nice to hear it's alright for you to bring those in from a teacher." Denki noticing his friend's gaze, gathered what he was talking about.

"Yeah, I mean I'm sure that I could get through this without them but it's nice to know I've got'em if I do need them."

A taller boy with glasses and wearing a nice school uniform stood with his arm raised.

"Excuse me sir, but I have a question." Present Mic pointed with both fingers to the young man.

"Hit Me!" The boy raised the handout showing the faux villains.

"On the handout, you've listed four types of villains. Not three. With all respect, if this is a mistake, it is shameful. We are exemplary students. We expect the best from Japan's most notable school. A mistake such as this won't do." Moving his head to look in Denki and Izuku's direction.

"In addition you two in the back, if this is a game to either of you two then please leave immediately!" The two boys in question could only sweat drop as the same thought occurred to them both.

 _"Why did we get singled out?!"_

"Alright examinee number seven one one one, thanks for tuning in. The last type of faux villain is worth zero points, it's more of an obstacle than anything else. Do you remember Thwomp from Super Mario Bros.? Well it's kinda like that. I recommend my listeners ignore it and try to focus on the ones toppin the charts!" Grandiose as ever, Present Mic was a showman at heart.

"Thank you very much sir, please continue." Giving a deep bow the young man sat back down.

"Well that's all I've got for you today. I'll sign off with a little present. The great Napoleon Bonaparte once said "True Heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life". Mmhmm now that's a tasty soundbite. You ready to go beyond?" With a wave of his arms in the air, the screen changed behind him. "Let's hear a Plus Ultra!"

Sorry Mic. Nothing but crickets.

"Good luck! Hope you practiced hitting more than just books!"

The duo looked at one another. Izuku rose his hand fist closed.

"See you on the other side Denki." Cocky grin flashing Denki pressed his own fist to his friend's.

"See you there."

Xxx

Stepping off the bus, Izuku looked around at his competition. Most of them were pretty calm for the most part. A few were doing breathing exercises or stretching. Seemed he'd gotten the more focused group to go up against.

 _"Well I'll just have to get in as quick as I can. My quirk works better with ammo but I don't need it to do damage. I'll rush in quick and find some projectiles then move onto the villains."_ His overall strategy devised Izuku took a more discerning glance at his fellows.

In the throng towards the front, he spotted her, Uraraka-san. She was obviously taking a moment to steady herself. He hoped she wasn't still hung up on what had happened earlier.

 _"I'll go make sure she's ok."_ A hand slapped onto his shoulder stopping him from moving forward in that moment.

"She looks to be trying to concentrate. What are you going to do, distract her and ruin her chances?" Oh joy, the serious guy with glasses was in his group.

"W-what? I wouldn't do that. I just wanted to wish her good luck." Before the discussion could further however, Present Mic shouted out the crowd of would be students.

"Right! Let's start listeners. Get moving! There are no countdowns in real battles! Move, move, move listeners. You're wasting airtime!"

Izuku stood there blinking for a moment at the suddenness of it all. Then the sound of feet hitting pavement broke him from the oddness.

 _"Crap! Alright deep breath, Izuku you know what you want to do."_ Closing his eyes and inhaling, Izuku activated his mag skates and began to hover. His eyes snapped open with focus.

"Time to go beyond!" And like that he shot forward, quickly catching up with the majority of the horde ahead of him.

A number of stunned expressions met him as he proceeded to blow past the main component of his competition.

Xxx

Skating along Izuku began looking for anything that would give him any sort of ammo to use against the villains. His head scanning back and forth he spotted what he was looking for.

"Rubble, it might make for poor terrain for some but it makes great ammo for me." He found three basketball size chunks of concrete and started the first of his new techniques. The one Denki had dubbed "The Triple Shell". Izuku raised all three chunks and then proceeded to rotate them around his person.

With his ammo/shield in place, Izuku once more rushed towards what he hoped would be a villain laden area. His luck held out.

Wheel screaming, a one pointer came tearing out from around a corner.

"Target locked! Prepare for termination!" Izuku was frozen for maybe half a second. Then everything slid into focus. Izuku knew what it was to fear for his life. Twice now in his lifetime he'd felt that sensation and he wouldn't let it phase him again.

One second a twelve foot tall robot was charging forward and the next a scrap heap was sliding along the ground, its head smashed in by flying concrete. Looking down at his fallen adversary, a proud smile filled his face before the sound of destruction reached his ears and returned him to the present.

"No time to celebrate, time to get moving. But first some better ammo."

Xxx

Skating towards the sound of machinery, Izuku pushed a little more speed into his skating. Now encircled by a mix of concrete chunks and pieces of robotic armor Izuku sought his quarry. There! A three pointer turning down a street just ahead.

He pressed forward even faster to try and reach it before someone else. Reaching out with his quirk, he grasped the corner of a building. As he arrived at the junction leading to the street he pulled with the point, slinging himself around the corner. The three pointer was huge, especially in comparison to the earlier one pointer. Thankfully it hadn't noticed him yet. Something Izuku planned to capitalize on. Getting in close, he brought one of his new pieces of ammo above the robotic quadruped. He had taken the shields that made up the one pointer's forearms and now it would make an excellent missile with another technique he had worked extensively on.

Using three points, Izuku squeezed the shield from inside and out. The force of the pressure squeezed the cannibalized missile, allowing for no other escape than to accelerate straight down at incredible speeds. The technique took a little more time, and used too often, too quickly would cause headaches. But the results spoke for themselves.

With a resounding whoosh and the screech of metal against metal the shield spat downwards clean into the middle of the robot. The construct's belly fell to the ground as its legs slid to the sides.

"Yes! That makes four, now I need to book it to the next one."

This would continue for the next eight minutes in rapid fashion.

A slide underneath a trio of two pointers saw the machines pierced from beneath their bellies. Metallic pieces of their brethren skewering them.

Four more one pointers met the same demise as the first Izuku encountered. Providing him with even further ammo.

A pair of two pointers were lead on a brief merry chase before attempting to impale our hero. Only to spear into the face of a three pointer, that Izuku had lured the duo to, as Izuku dropped beneath the strikes. They joined their betrayed comrade moments later.

A lone three pointer became the unfortunate victim of death by stop sign, as Izuku turned the once stationary traffic signal into an impromptu spinning, screaming saw disc.

A pack of five, one pointers were eliminated as Izuku skated between them. Allowing the shields revolving around him to act as guillotines. There seemed to be a theme for the one pointers.

A solitary two pointer found its inner workings open to the light of day when Izuku eviscerated the automaton with one of the tails of its fallen brethren.

Xxx

At the eight minute mark, Thwomp decided to make its presence known. The whole test site could hear the treads cranking along. The main street had become crowded, the presence of a large group of faux villains had attracted examinees, which in turn attracted more faux villains. All eyes turned to the massive mech however, when its fist raised. With a crash that shook the earth the test takers turned on their heels to flee. It was just too big.

Izuku himself went to leave the area. He only had thirty one points. He wanted more, he had to do his best here. But a familiar voice caught his ear.

"Oww." Izuku's eyes grew round and he crouched low, mag-skates still active, and swung himself in a swift circle to see what he could only hope he had misheard.

There, leg trapped under rubble, was Uraraka-san. Thwomp was making its way forward, humongous treads crushing all in its path. When Uraraka realized her predicament she caught Izuku's eyes as she began to struggle. Brown met green and Izuku was visited by the memory of a similar instance. When blue eyes had gazed up at him, pleading for help. The odds may have changed, the stakes that much higher, but Izuku knew, just as he had known looking down at that little black kitten, that to be a hero meant never turning your back on those in need.

From wide in shock to narrowed in focus, Izuku's eyes never wavered from the downed girl. Bursting forward with everything he had, Izuku contemplated on his course of action.

 _"Shit, shit, shit! I just need to get her in my range! I just need to reach her! Hold on!"_

He was constantly throwing points forward even as he hurtled forwards, desperately trying to reach her. Each one inevitably vanishing into the void outside his range. Uraraka herself had noticed the boy coming her way and was trying to use her quirk to lift some of the debris off her. The treads were getting closer and the ground rumbled.

Then there was a tug and Uraraka thought she might be flying for a moment until she came crashing into the chest of Izuku. It was all Izuku could do to stay on his feet as he ended up swinging the two of them around with Uraraka in his arms. It might have been cute if the circumstances were different. They weren't very far from the behemoth as it trudged onwards but they weren't in immediate danger of being crushed.

"Uraraka-san are you alright?" The girl was looking a little pale. Or maybe it was green, they had just been spinning like a merry go round.

"Ouum *gulp* I'm ok b-but, could you put me down please. I'm feeling a little queasy." Setting the girl on her feet he took a step back to give her some air. But the clock was ticking and they had a giant robot crawling towards them.

"Sorry Uraraka-san but we have to go. We'll get flattened if we stay here." Uraraka took a second to steady herself and nodded.

Their quick getaway was not to be however. As the two were about to high tail it out of there, a voice reached them.

"Monsieur, mademoiselle! I don't suppose I could bother you for some assistance?" Nearby trapped under the limb of a three pointer, was a blond boy in ostentatious dress clothes.

Uraraka was quick to react and moved back to help her fellow examinee, Izuku following shortly after. The blond was in rough shape. From the looks of it, the punch Thwomp had initially started with in its debut had sent the smaller three pointer crashing on top of the unfortunate young man.

"Midoriya-san, if I use my quirk on the robot can you move it away?" Uraraka wanted to get out of here.

"Of course, but we really need to hurry!" Izuku had noticed Thwomp looked to have targeted them. This was so not good.

Uraraka hurried into action and used her quirk to make the object float in zero gravity. Izuku was quick to assist with his own quirk. Lifting the robot revealed the extent of the blond's injuries. He certainly wasn't going anywhere in a hurry. Leg bent at the angle it was. Urarka was already trying to help the boy up. Izuku however had become aware of a greater issue.

 _"We took too long."_ Following Izuku's line of sight, Uraraka and the downed boy had similar thoughts.

Thwomp had managed to catch up with them and was rearing one of its great fists back.

 _"No, no, it can't end like this. I won't let it."_ The question of how he would stop the giant was unclear until he spotted the three pointer still floating. It was a long shot and this could end badly for him but Izuku didn't have much of a choice.

"Uraraka-san! Whatever you do, don't drop that robot!" Izuku moved to the floating robot and began placing his points.

"What are you going to do Midoriya-san?" Holding up their injured fellow, Uraraka watched as Izuku's face looked progressively more and more pained.

 _"First set, two times, just like I've been doing. Aargh! What the hell! There's no weight but trying to fire this thing feels like I'm sticking my head in a vice with teeth!_ " Izuku's headache was quick to become a full blown migraine. His breathing becoming labored.

 _"Second set, four times. Everything's going dark. I just have to keep this shot steady. *sniffle* Is my nose running as well?"_ Spots started to flash in and out of Izuku's vision, leaving darkness behind them. Blood began to slip from his nostrils, trailing down to his chin.

 _"T-third set, eight e-eight times, right? T-this is all, a-all I've got. Please let this be enough."_ Pain filled Izuku's entire world at this point. It felt as though his head might explode at any moment. Crimson tears had begun to leak from the corners of his eyes, mixing with the rivulets from his nasal cavities.

Uraraka and the blond boy she was helping to stand looked on in horror at the macabre sight.

"You asked w-what I'm d-doing Uraraka-san? I'm d-doing j-just as any s-student of U.A. should. T-time t-to go beyond. PLUUUS UUUULTRA!"

With those words Izuku fired with all his might.

 **"KKKKRAAAAACK! BOOOOOM!"** The sonic boom itself was deafeningly loud. Any glass too close to the object as it traveled was promptly shattered inwards.

 **"GOOONG! SNAAAP! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"** The robotic missile met the underside of its larger brethren's chin. The enormous force of impact snapped Thwomp's head up into a right angle, ripping apart its neck's internal workings. The three pointer, now buried into the bottom of Thwomp's robotic skull, exploded; its payload compromised in the impact. This sent Thwomp falling backward, slowly arching its spine.

Xxx

In a room not too far from the testing sites, U.A. faculty cheered at the act of heroism they had just witnessed. A gaunt man with blonde hair and blue eyes shining, grinned widely.

 _"Midoriya Izuku. If you hadn't already given me a reason to consider you; you certainly have now._ _Stay strong my boy, someday soon we may need to have a chat."_

Xxx

The other examinees all looked on in amazement at the destruction wrought by their fellow. They were only broken out of their stupor by the ever excitable Present Mic.

"AAH YEAH! Now that was wicked! But with that listeners…. TIMES UP!" A horn sounded right after this, further confirming the test's conclusion.

The examinees shook themselves before a number approached the boy responsible for all the ruckus. Izuku did not look good. Face red, labored breathing, and blood dripping from his chin as it made its way from his eyes and nose. The onlookers were growing concerned.

"Damn, did you see that?!"

"He took down that monstrosity with one shot!"

"Yeah but he's not looking so good."

"Should we go get help?"

None were more worried than Uraraka and the young man hanging from her shoulder.

"Merde, monsieur are you alright?" The blond boy attempted to hobble forward but his lame leg almost saw him face first in the pavement. Uraraka steadied him and together they sort of waddled as fast they could.

Izuku sank to his knees. His vision hadn't come back yet but he could hear. Turning to the sound of the voice, Izuku gave a shaky smile.

"I'm f-fine. Are you two ok?" The legitimacy of this claim was rather in question, given the blood dripping from his chin. At the very least neither of the two looking directly at him were convinced. Urarka especially wasn't buying it.

"I don't know about that. Can you even see? We need to get you to a doctor!" Scooting down, the pink cheeked girl tried to help Izuku to his feet.

This didn't really go to plan, as the attempt to manage both boys at once only ended with her falling over.

"Ooph well that didn't work. Hey can I get some help over here?" Uraraka waved towards the crowd nearby. Sighing she looked towards her two would be charges.

"Are you two alright? Sorry that didn't work." The blond boy nodded.

"A little shook up and I think my leg is broken. But I will live mademoiselle." Uraraka gave a small smile to limp boy.

"Midoriya-san are you ok?" No response was given. Her eyes snapped to the other boy.

Izuku wasn't moving, he was breathing but his eyes were open and he wasn't moving.

"MIDORIYA-SAN! I need help over here! HELP!" She was panicking. The crowd unsure of what do was starting to freak out as well. A few ran off to try and get some assistance.

Out of nowhere a large gust of wind blew up dust and there stood her welcome but quite unexpected assistance.

"Don't worry young lady. **I am here.** " All Might reached down and picked both injured boys off the ground. Turning to the blond boy, All Might gave some advice.

"Hold on tight because I'm going to be rushing to see Recovery Girl as fast as I can. I won't drop you but we need to get young Midoriya help as quickly as possible." The shock of meeting the top pro hero wore off when the blond boy was reminded of his savior's current state. Giving a solemn nod, he tightened his grip.

Then they vanished, with speed that blew some examinees onto their backsides. Uraraka was left to worry over the state of the boy that had helped her.

She hoped he would be okay.

 **Xxxx**

 **A/N: Gonna call it there for now. I hoped yall enjoyed. See you next week. Hehehe**


	8. Chapter 8

To Repel and Attract

 **A/N: Wow! That response. I love you guys. Seriously I am so thrilled that you guys are enjoying this that much. So first note if you didn't recognize Kamiya Sora or Orimoto Izumi that's alright. They don't have names as far as I'm aware but they are in the anime and manga. If you watch the anime and pause episode 1 at 7 minutes 26 seconds in, you can see Kamiya just to the side of Izuku, the redhead with flames for hands, and Izumi is two seats in front of her, the brunette. You get a closer look at the both of them on episode 3 at 10 minutes 48 seconds. So just in case anyone was having trouble visualizing either of those two. Secondly I wanted to see if you guys could figure out who Aunt Haru is based on. No one had commented on it and I was curious to see if anyone could figure it out. It should be relatively easy. I didn't change her name and she's from a movie produced by one of Japan's greatest animation studios. Her cottage is from another film produced by the same studio. It's the childhood home of a young delivery girl.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to My Hero Academia**

Chapter 8: A Path Left, Another Begun, and The Fork Ahead

Sound was the first thing to return to Izuku. The sound of clacking coming from a keyboard nearby. The smell of antiseptics floated through the air to his nostrils next. The texture of a firm mattress and soft pillows. With the return of his senses, memories of the exam came rushing back. His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright.

"Uraraka-san! Arrrg!" Sitting up that quickly proved to be a poor choice of action. Izuku's head rung and he closed his eyes against the rush of light that worsened the pain. A voice called out to him in dry amusement.

"Yes dear, I wouldn't recommend moving quite that quickly. I did what I could for your injuries but you managed do quite a number on yourself. Honestly what were you thinking pushing yourself that far?" Izuku still couldn't stand to open his eyes. The voice sounded elderly and female but he didn't recognize it.

"Aah, I'm sorry ma'am it hurts to open my eyes right now. But could you tell me what happened to Uraraka-san? She was one of the other examinees, short, brunette, and has a gravity quirk. Oh and there was a blond boy in formal clothes. Are they ok?" The sound of wheels on laminate flooring hit his ears. Footsteps coming closer. The voice was still as amused but warmer now.

"Well now, not even gonna ask for the name of the person who saved your life? Hehehehe." Heat crept up into Izuku's cheeks as he realized his error.

"I'm sorry ma'am. I'm just worried and I can't really remember what happened at the end of the test. I remember helping Uraraka-san and then we were trying to save the blond boy but I can't really remember what happened after that. Please forgive my rudeness. I'm Midoriya Izuku, might I ask your name?" Eyes still closed he did his best to give a sort of bow in the direction the voice had come from.

"Haha I was only teasing child. My name is Shuzenji Chiyo, but you can call me Recovery Girl. Everyone at U.A. does." Izuku choked on air and began to sputter.

"R-Recovery Girl! A-as in Youthful Heroine Recovery Girl? I am so sorry ma'am. I should've thanked you sooner." He bobbed his head up and down in penance until the pain grew too much and he stopped to grab his head.

"You can thank me by not making my job more difficult. Don't move so much. You're still in a right state. The two you were worried about, Uraraka-chan and Aoyama-kun, the blond boy, are fine. I sent them home about an hour ago. They were quite worried about you. Your friend, Kaminari-kun, is still waiting in the hall however. Now hold still a second and let me finish your treatment." A warm wet feeling pressed against Izuku's brow and the pain vanished almost instantly. Though he was left feeling rather tired from the experience.

Opening his eyes he noticed that he was sitting in what looked like a nurse's office. Stifling a yawn he forced himself up. Upon noticing the short, elderly hero who had attended him, Izuku gave a proper bow.

"Thank you for treating me Recovery Girl. I'm glad that Uraraka-san and Aoyama-san are ok. What ended up happening?" Recovery Girl gave the boy a once over before answering his question.

"Well you're looking better so I can discharge you in good conscience. As for what happened, you decided to take it upon yourself to try and stop the zero pointer all on your lonesome. I was watching from the observation room and noticed some rather troubling symptoms begin to develop. It's why I had All Might rush out and grab you while I prepped the room." Walking over to a clipboard on the nearby desk to glance over her findings.

"When I saw you at the testing site I could tell you were inflicting some sort of internal trauma upon yourself. Your blood pressure rose so high so quickly that you suffered a brain hemorrhage. A number of blood vessels burst as well. Centered mainly around your face. Behind the eyes and in your nasal cavities mostly. Quirks may seem almost magical but at the end of the day they are biological in origin. There are repercussions for pushing your quirk past its limits, much in the same way there are repercussions for pushing your muscles too far. Go too far and you might not be able to come back." Recovery Girl looked up to Izuku, her eyes taking on a stern visage.

"Midoriya-kun that technique of yours is very dangerous. I want you to promise me to be careful when you use it in the future." Izuku gulped. Little old lady or not, it was intimidating to have a pro hero give him a look like that.

It made him think back on the exam though. The memory of the event was still a little fuzzy. Izuku was certain she was talking about the mag rifle, but if that was the case he had no idea how he could have hurt himself that badly. The first set could give him headaches but only if he used it in a rapid fashion over a short period of time. Every time he had even tried to use the second set it had given him horrible migraines and he had never been able to fire it more than twice consecutively without passing out. So how did he end up in such bad shape?

"If I'm being totally honest Recovery Girl I'm not even sure what I did, much less how I ended up here. Or how I destroyed the zero pointer. But if I saved Uraraka-san and Aoyama-san shouldn't that be what matters? I mean even if I got hurt its fine so long as they're ok. I promise to be careful Recovery Girl but if someone is in trouble then I can't just stand by if I could help." The conviction in Izuku's voice made Recovery Girl pause before giving a despondent sigh.

"Oh the folly of youth. I suppose that's as good as I'm going to get out of you. Well should you make it into U.A. I hope that I won't be seeing you too often. You're good to go. You should probably go let your friend know that you're up. If I understood him correctly he called your mother." Izuku could only groan at that. He was sure his mother was already in a near state of panic. He hoped Denki had let her know that he wasn't seriously hurt.

"Thank you again Recovery Girl. I'll go let him know." Getting up, he rushed out the door to try and contain the possible meltdown that was undoubtedly brewing.

The door shut behind him; the room was quiet for a moment before Recovery Girl turned to the white divider sheet currently between the two beds. The curtain pulled back to show a gaunt, blonde man with peculiar bangs and bright, almost shining, blue eyes. Looking to Recovery Girl he had an excited grin on his face.

"Well what did you think of him? I mean come on the first thing the kid asks about is the two he was trying to save! And that bit before he left! I have a really good feeling about him Recovery Girl." Recovery Girl gave the man a critical look before sighing wearily.

"You know who he reminds me of? You. Back when you were first starting out as a hero." Noticing the man's grin widen a smidge further, Recovery Girl was quick to sweep her syringe shaped cane at the blue eyed fool.

"Don't get so smug, All Might. That wasn't meant as a compliment. There were a number of close calls back then. Just like you, that boy is prone to acting without thinking his actions all the way through. So long as someone is in trouble he'll charge in head first and analyze the situation as he goes. I watched those mock battles just like you did. Before the zero pointer showed up he displayed a fantastic grasp of tactical awareness. But the moment those other two were in danger he jumped to the most powerful and self-destructive option available to him. So long as he could save those two he didn't care what happened to himself." All Might backed up to avoid the often used club from colliding with his shins. Thing freaking hurt.

"That's not a bad thing though Recovery Girl. Selfless acts like that; aren't they what truly defines a hero? I know he's young and inexperienced but he's shown that he has a firm grasp of his own quirk, a creative, unconventional way of thinking, and the determination needed to pull off what he did out there. The boy worked through what must've been immense pain in order to make that shot. And after he'd stopped the villain, saved the other two, and about popped his own brain, what does he do? He smiles and asks if they're ok!" At this point All Might had hopped off the bed and was all but shaking with excitement, arms held wide. Recovery Girl looked carefully at the excitable man in front of her. Then it clicked and she remembered what he had said about his initial meeting with Midoriya.

"So that's it. Nana, he reminds you of her. All Might I know how you feel about your old teacher. Nana was a good friend of mine if you recall. Yes, thinking about it I can see the resemblance. Still the boy is just as you said. Young and inexperienced. With your condition being what it is, do you think you can wait long enough to allow him to grow?" Bringing up his predecessor was always a surefire way to sober All Might. Looking down, his voice was certainly calmer in his response.

"He definitely brings up memories of her. But it's not just that. That boy is a true hero, his words the first time we were introduced might have reminded me of Shimura-sensei. But he came to them on his own. Then he proved his dedication to his own ideals in the test! If that kind of conviction to such an ideal doesn't make for a successor then I'm not sure what does." Recovery Girl looked solemn in response to All Might's speech. Her eyes closed in contemplation and her arms crossed. After a moment a small smile crossed her face.

"Showing people a smile to let them know its ok. Such a simple concept. But he put into practice despite the pain he must've been in. Well I guess I can't say that isn't a heroic thing to do. Alright, fine. You have my backing but you need to take it easy and allow the boy to gain some more experience, before you approach him about One for All." All Might's grin returned at full force.

"Thank you so much Recovery Girl. That means a lot." He gave a deep bow to the elderly woman. She in turn waved him off, considering the whole thing silly.

"Yes, yes; though honestly it's your decision in the end. You don't need anyone's backing or permission to pick a successor for _your_ power." All Might rubbed the back of the neck, sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

"Maybe not but there are so few people that know about One for All and even fewer that know how it works. To pass on One for All without even consulting those few could engender negative attitudes towards my successor. You, the principal, Torino, and Nighteye are the only ones that could help any successor I choose should something happen to me. I've had ten months to think this over. I won't burden a child with this power, this responsibility, without making sure that they have someone to turn should the worst happen." Recovery Girl blinked a few times before giving a chuckle.

"Hehehe, sometimes I forget how thoughtful you can be when you put your mind to it."

"Hey!"

"Oh hush. I am glad to know this decision was thought through carefully. While I wish you wouldn't consider such morbid possibilities, I'm glad to know that you are looking out for your successor. I can't say how well either of the other three will take this though. Torino will likely be fine with it. Especially if he sees what you do. The principal will take some convincing but I know he was impressed with Midoriya's actions in the mock battle. The challenge will be Nighteye." All Might hummed to himself in contemplation.

"I had come to the same conclusion. I don't know if there's any chance of convincing Nighteye. His selection for my successor is certainly impressive. There's no doubting that. But I think I knew even throughout all these months; that I had already made my decision. Another deciding factor is how their quirks would work with One for All. A concern I had with Nighteye's selection is that he would ultimately try and use that power in a similar fashion as my own. With Midoriya though …. well I think we saw a bit of what his own quirk would be like once bolstered by One for All. I can't imagine what he'll be like when he can manage to harness both." Both pros sat there for a moment in serious contemplation and even slight awe at what that outcome might be like. That is until a phone began to ring.

Sitting on the bedside table that Izuku had occupied a moment ago, was the boy's phone. All Might went over to pick up the cellular device just as it stopped ringing. Recovery Girl shook her head in exasperation.

"Oh dear, rushing off like that. Seems he forgot some things. Would you mind bringing that to him? I need to finish some stuff here and lock up." All Might nodded absent mindedly. The name on the missed call brought another memory to mind. Well hopefully she wouldn't be here. He might die if one of the faculty caught him acting that way.

Xxx

Izuku left the room quickly. He had to find Denki and maybe he could get a hold of his mother before she rushed to the school. He'd be so embarrassed if his mother ended up being walked into the school to pick him up. Just down the hall he saw spiky blond hair.

"Denki! Hey I'm alright! Please tell me my mom isn't coming this way." Denki upon hearing his buddy up, smiled in his direction. That is… before his friend's request registered. Then he just cracked up laughing.

"I'm afraid you're a little late for that wingman. She texted me about thirty minutes ago to let me know she was on her way here." His laughter picked up further when Izuku's head dropped in defeat. Choking on the laughter a bit to get it under control Denki went to console his mortified friend.

"Hey come on, I bet we can meet her at the gate. Let's go grab your stuff from the locker room and then we'll head over there as quick as we can. Maybe we'll cut her off before she can call a teacher on the intercom." Izuku perked up at that and with a plan in mind nodded to Denki.

"Right, let's hurry. I'd rather not have my mother coming to pick me up, be one of the first things a future teacher thinks of when I come up."

Xxx

Unfortunately the locker room turned out to be a bust. The lockers were already empty when they got there. They found an examiner nearby but he just told them that they'd have to ask a full time faculty member in order to find out what had happened to Izuku's things.

With that bust the two of them started back to the nurse's office to see if they could ask Recovery Girl if she had them.

On the way there Denki received a text. He gave Izuku an apologetic smile.

"Sorry Izuku. Looks like she's already in. A teacher went and got her from the gate." Izuku's head fell with a cloud of depression surrounding him. His dead eyes turned to Denki.

"Let her know that we're going to the nurse's office to see what happened to my stuff." Denki tapped at his phone for a bit.

"Done. Well we could try limiting the damage and hurry there. If she doesn't meet Recovery Girl then she doesn't get to find how bad your injuries were. Speaking of; you're gonna have to fill me in on what happened." Once more the two double timed it. Izuku definitely didn't want his mother to find out how bad he'd hurt himself. Just because she was supportive of his life's goal didn't mean he was eager to find out what her limits were.

Xxx

Almost back to the nurse's office and the two boys came upon a gaunt man with bright blue eyes. He was carrying Izuku's things and upon seeing the boys started walking their way. Meeting the man halfway Izuku was quick to offer gratitude.

"Thank you for bringing my things sir. I should have asked before I left the nurse's office. I hope it wasn't too much trouble." The man handed over Izuku's bag and phone before shaking his head.

"It's no trouble. I was passing by and Recovery Girl asked me to take these to you. Hope you get in young man." The blond man gave Izuku a thumbs up and was going to leave until he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

"IIIZZUUUKU!" Inko Midoriya slammed into her son like a freight train. Wrapping him up in a hug and then looking over every inch of him.

"Oh baby are you alright?! I was so worried, when Denki let me know that you were hurt I wanted to come right over. He told me it wasn't that serious but I really wrestled with staying at work. Oh my poor sweet baby where did you get hurt?" Izuku's face got progressively redder with every moment of his mother fawning over him.

"Aah sweet motherly love. There's nothing more beautiful. It's turning me on a little bit." Heads flashed to the origin of that particular comment.

 _"Aah crap, it just had to be her. I've gotta go before this gets bad."_

 _"T-that's Midnight! The R-rated hero!"_

 _"Daaaaaaamn. That costume."_

"M-midnight-san isn't that inappropriate?! There are children here!" The Midoriya's and Denki's face were all beet red.

The woman in question just laughed off the question. Upon noticing All Might however, an inquisitive gleam entered her eyes.

"Oh, and what brings you out here Yagi-kun?" Now All Might found himself the center of attention.

 _"Double crap. Well better try and bite the bullet."_ Midnight loved trying to get a rise out of him. Flustering the Symbol of Peace was an accomplishment in and of itself.

"I was just returning young Midoriya's things to him. Excuse me I should be going." Oh All Might, a sudden retreat? Now Midnight was eager to discover something juicy.

"Well aren't you just a sweetie. Such a caring member of our faculty. Always eager to help without even a word of thanks." At this Inko's flush lessened and she gave a short bow and smiled at All Might.

"Thank you Yagi-san. I'm glad to know that Izuku will have such a compassionate teacher looking out for him." Midnight you clever girl. All Might was looking a little ruffled. Midnight's grin morphed into one of the cat who caught the canary.

 _"Not sure what's gotten into him. But this is delicious. The great All Might brought low by the charms of a simple working mother. Hehehehe!"_

All Might was faced with a repeat of his last encounter. The ghost of his master wasn't influencing him this time but the woman still threw him off kilter. He wasn't sure if it was her resemblance to Shimura-sensei or her own genuine gratitude that made him falter. Perhaps both, but regardless this certainly was an odd predicament. He had never had any problems dealing with attractive women in the past.

 _"And of course it has to be Midnight that witnesses me becoming a stumbling mess."_

"S-seriously it was no trouble. There's no need to thank me. Anyways I have some uuuh, some curriculum to look over. Yes that's right! Anyways pleasure to meet you and good luck with your exam scores! Bye!" With that he booked it out of sight. Midnight's eyes shining as she watched her colleague flee. Oh this was good.

"Well I should follow my fellow teacher's example and prepare for the future year. I hope to see you boys in the coming school year! Ta-ta!" The shine in her eyes and the not so subtle cackle as she followed behind her fellow teacher, left the other three a mite concerned for Yagi-san.

Xxx

The following week passed with no small amount of pacing, frantic study of past notes, and trips to the center to press his abilities. School certainly hadn't helped. His classmates had asked him every day on whether or not he'd received his letter yet. The sympathetic looks he'd gotten with every response to the negative, were more disheartening than helpful.

Then of course there was Kamiya Sora. He was certain that he'd upset her, but he wasn't sure what he had done. Since the incident with Bakugo she hadn't spoken with him. Even in study sessions she wouldn't talk to him. Only giving nonverbal responses whenever he asked her a question. They hadn't really been friends before the incident but they had at least been on fairly good terms. Since the villain attack had spurred him into spending almost all of his spare time training, he hadn't had much time to investigate the issue. With the exam over now though, he wanted to uncover the reasons behind their estrangement.

Easier said than done. Every time he tried to ask her what he had done she was quick to dodge the question. Making excuses to vacate from his presence as quick as possible, her face reddening. The trips to the center were equal parts anxiety over the exam results and frustration over his inability to make right the problem. At one point Kamiya's friend Orimoto Izumi had stopped him.

"Midoriya-san, I get that you're trying to help but this isn't something you can just fix. Ultimately this is on her. You're probably making it worse by keeping this up. Look I can't promise she'll come around but just give her some space." Her face had been one of amused exasperation.

That wasn't exactly the advice Izuku wanted to hear. It was a hero's duty to help and try to make things right. Sitting back and letting the situation try and resolve itself went against his nature. Denki wasn't much help either. Every time Izuku brought it up with him, Denki would give him this shit eating grin and tell him he'd get it when he was older. The follow up to that usually consisted of Izuku lobbing something at his friend's head.

Xxx

Finally one week after his participation in the U.A. exam, Inko came bursting into the apartment. Waving a small white envelope with the U.A. crest emblazoned on its front.

"Izuku! Izuku! It came! Your test results are here!" Izuku's eyes widened and he rushed over to receive the letter from his mother. Ichi upon noticing the commotion came to investigate. The trio stood there for a moment just staring at the small white parcel.

"Do… do you want to open it on your own?" Inko knew this was big for her son. It would decide much of what his future would hold. Izuku however, shook his head.

"No its fine. Regardless of what's in this letter I'll be a hero. If I have to apply to another school, then so be it. Ketsubutsu Academy has their exam next week and Shiketsu High's is the beginning of next month. Not getting into U.A. won't stop me!" Inko for her part started to tear up. She was so proud of her baby. Izuku noticing the buildup of liquid at the corners of her eyes, went to cut off the waterworks.

"Mom its ok, don't cry. Don't cry. Here come on let's go see what it says." Inko had to bite her lip and rapidly nodded, trying hard not to let the dams burst.

Bringing his mother to the couch, they sat down and Izuku carefully opened the envelope. Inside was an odd disc, placing it on the table Izuku looked for a switch or button. But Ichi beat him to it and hopping up on the table, a little black paw slapped at the disc. And just like that All Might was in their living room.

"BOO YAH! I am here, as a projection!" Ichi shot up into the air like a rocket, and he booked it behind his two leg. The two Midoriyas leant back into the couch in surprise, while Ichi hissed behind Izuku.

"I'm sure you're surprised to see me! The truth is that I didn't come to this city just to fight villains. You're looking at the newest U.A. faculty member!" Izuku was stunned to say the least.

 _"That means I'll get to learn under All Might! He's been my idol for so long and now I'll have the opportunity to find out just what it takes to be number one!"_ Inko smiled, patting her eyes with a tissue, when she saw Izuku's face. This was a dream come true for him.

Meanwhile the screen showed another figure rush onto the stage and force his way into the camera shot. All Might was flummoxed and a little annoyed at someone taking the stage with him.

"Mic! What are you doing here? I'm trying to get this filming done for the student's exam results." The massive hero started to try and push the cockatiel haired man out of the camera shot.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you loud and clear big man. But you're filming the one for the Midoriya kid right?! Well kiddo if you're tuned in, I just wanna let you know I heard the Plus Ultra you gave!" Present Mic looked at the camera, his teeth shining with rock fists crossed.

"That. Was. AWESOME! School spirit to the max!" At this point the man was practically shaking with excitement. He looked to be ready to go on some energetic rambling about Izuku's actions. Until some odd cloth wrapped across his head and torso, coming from outside the camera shot.

"Hey, w-wait Aizawa! I wasn't finished." An exhausted voice came from the direction of the cloth.

"Yes you are. Seriously how old are you? Come on we have class work to prepare." Present Mic was dragged off the stage, struggling and protesting the whole way. Both All Might and the viewing Midoriyas sweat dropping at the man's antics. Even with his eccentrics though, Izuku was beaming from the praise.

All Might coughed into his hand and continued from where he had left off.

"Well now that's out of the way we can get this show on the road. Midoriya Izuku, I am very pleased to tell you that you passed the written portion of the exam with flying colors! Indeed you held one of the top grades in passing. Good work young man!" Inko was bouncing up and down on the seat cushion at this point and reached over to pull her son into a hug. Izuku kept grinning and returned the gesture with his arm, keeping his eyes on All Might.

"Then of course we have your practical results. Thirty one points is a fairly decent score. However ….." Izuku and Inko were sitting at the edge of the couch, Inko gripping her son's hand in preparation for bad news.

"Before we get to that I have something else to show you! Haha!" The Midoriyas both face faulted, similar thoughts coursing through their heads.

 _"This man only thinks he's funny."_

All Might pointed a remote to a nearby screen. Flickering on, it showed Uraraka and Aoyama outside the doors of the nurse's office. Both held worry in their expressions. The door to the nurse's office opened to show All Might walking out. Both young people jumped up at his presence.

"Is Midoriya-san alright?" Aoyama was tired from the having his leg healed but he felt guilty that the other boy was hurt so badly trying to help him.

"Yeah please tell us he'll be ok!" Uraraka had been worrying her hands for the past hour waiting for any news of the young man that had risked so much to save them.

"Young Midoriya is fine and he'll be good to go in a few hours." Teeth shined as the massive man gave the two worried teens a smile and a thumbs up. Both gave sighs of relief at the announcement.

"Recovery Girl wanted me to let you know that you two should head home. Don't worry about young Midoriya. He's in good hands." The two gave their assents to the hero's recommendation. As they went to leave though, Uraraka hesitated.

"Umm, All Might sir. Will Midoriya pass? I don't know how many points he got during the exam, but umm …. if .. if I could give him some of my points would he be able to pass? I mean he saved me! He helped me save Aoyama-san before hurting himself so badly stopping that thing! And then he asked if we were ok, like we were the ones bleeding. So please, please let him have some of my points!" Uraraka's face was tightened in frustration over her perceived unfairness of it all. Aoyama paused in his own walking. Giving a long suffering sigh he turned around to throw in his own two cents.

"As much as I am loathe to part with any of my own hard won points, I too would be willing to gift some of my points to Midoriya-san. I can't exactly be a sparkling hero if I were to let a debt like this go unpaid." Izuku at this point was shocked. It was touching that both of them had stepped up to help him. Inko was smiling at her son. He had certainly come far from saving the black furball that now sat in his lap.

The All Might on the stage paused the recording of the footage.

"Your words and actions have inspired others. That smile has served you well it seems. For you see the exam was not judged on villain points alone!" Swirling back to the recording All Might continued the footage.

The screen moved once more and the All Might facing the two children laughed.

"Haha I commend you both for wanting to help young Midoriya. Such selflessness shows great character in each of you. But fear not, that young man did a fine job proving himself a hero!" The screen paused once more and the All Might on stage looked into the camera.

"How could a hero course reject someone so willing to place themselves in harm's way in order to help others? After all isn't that instinct to help those in need what makes a hero? And that's what my alma mater is all about. Training those who would risk their lives for the greater good. So we have rescue points! A panel of judges watches and awards points for heroic acts." Izuku could see where this was going and his eyes widened in anticipation and amazement.

"Izuku Midoriya, eighty five rescue points! And Ochako Uraraka, sixty rescue points! You both made it. Congratulations in placing first in the practical exam young man." Izuku was fighting hard against both genetics and overwhelming emotion, biting his lip to stem the tide. His arms instinctively pulling Ichi closer, much to the fuzz bucket's concern.

"Welcome Izuku. You're now a part of the hero academia." Inko gave out a loud squeal and hugged her son close, smothering Ichi between the two of them. His yowling protests ignored amongst the family celebration, as both Midoriyas laughed in joy over the momentous news.

"Eeeh! Izuku I'm so proud of you! I'm so happy for you!" Unlike Izuku she couldn't keep the waters held. Tears gushing forth in torrents.

Izuku could only laugh hugging his mother back and trying to stay dry.

" _This is it! I made it in! One step closer to my dream!"_

Ichi gave a resigned meow and settled in to accept the madness his two legs were currently embroiled in.

Xxx

The following day Izuku spoke with Denki to learn that both boys had been accepted into U.A. With it being the weekend the two spent much of the day celebrating.

The good news and time with Denki put Izuku in a great mood for his return to class. Izuku's excellent mood didn't go without notice. A few of the more curious students intended to ask him about his good mood later. They were beaten to the punch however, by one very overzealous and proud homeroom teacher. The man was able to make it through roll call before he couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Now, before we get started today; I wanted to share with everyone some excellent news! Our own Midoriya Izuku and Bakugo Katsuki have both been accepted into U.A. High! Congratulations boys!" The whole class burst out into chaos with all of the other students either completely shell shocked or trying to congratulate the two boys.

Izuku smiled at his classmates and thanked them for their kind words. Bakugo meanwhile just smirked with his shit eating grin soaking up the attention. He wasn't surprised the nerd had gotten in. Looking over to the green haired boy Bakugo was looking forward to the inevitable.

 _"You've danced away long enough nerd. Soon we're gonna see which of us is stronger. Question is; which of us knows more. I'm thinking that you're in for a surprise, Deku."_ Bakugo's grin turned savage for a brief moment as he contemplated future events.

There was only one person in the class not congratulating one of the two boys. Sora sat at her desk, mulling over the news. She was happy for Midoriya but she kept back from approaching him. Instead she sat at her desk clenching her hands. Izumi took one look at her friend and shook her head in exhaustion.

Izuku wasn't blind to this either. His smile dipped for a moment before he was set upon by more well-wishers. He'd have to wait until after class to see about bringing this to a close. Izuku didn't want the memory of the upset girl hanging over his head going into U.A.

 **A/N: So I'm not very happy with this chapter but I wanted to post it so that I could move away from it. Next chapter will be far more entertaining. Kamiya's issue, the first day at U.A., and maybe the first match of the battle course. Anyways I hope this gets a few laughs and will tide you guys over until next time.**


	9. Chapter 9

To Repel and Attract

 **Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia**

Chapter 9: The First Days

Unfortunately Izuku's attempts to talk to Kamiya would meet with the same amount of success that they had before. That is to say, none at all. It took his frustration building until the last day of school before Izuku was ready to confront the situation head on rather than the usual casual approach he'd been trying up until that point.

So towards the end of the day, Izuku went to talk with Kamiya before they both left school. In the halls after the bell had rung, Izuku steadied himself and tried to hold his back as straight as he could. Spotting Kamiya with Orimoto, he moved to talk with the red head. Unaware of the conversation the two had been having.

Xxxx

"Sora come on, seriously. This is ridiculous, just talk to the boy. We both know you've been crushing on him for like as long as you've known him. Are you really just going to let him slip away without letting him know how you feel? He's going to U.A. and unless you've been hiding something big from me then you won't be able to see him next year." Izumi looked at her Sora, irritated with the reserved and shy attitude her friend had been displaying for some time now. Especially given Kamiya's normal composed, if gentle personality.

Sora sighed, acknowledging her friend's words. She knew Izumi was right but it didn't make it any easier to overcome the fear of rejection. She'd been struggling with these feelings for a while now. Looking down into her hand she exercised her quirk, a small flame moving from her palm to her fingertip and back again. A habit that she'd taken to, like her own worrying stone. The last comment from her friend had stung a little though. It was wrong to keep something like this from her friend but she didn't want anyone to know. But it didn't really matter now.

"What if… what if I did try to get into U.A.?" Izumi creaked her head to look at her childhood friend.

"You didn't." Sora gave a swift nod to her friend. Izumi's jaw dropped in shock. Of course everyone dreamed of being a hero to some degree but most aimed a little lower than U.A., it was literally recognized as the number one school in the country. Almost everyone that graduated from that institution became nationally recognized. Gulping down her shock, Izumi looked expectantly at her friend.

"Well? Don't leave me hanging. How did you do?" The look on Sora's face was enough of an answer for Izumi. She honestly regretted asking, but Sora answered anyways.

"I passed the written exam but failed the practical. They had us fighting robots and I just froze up for too long. By the time I got in gear, there weren't enough of them for me to get enough points to pass. I burnt through as many as I could but there was some electric quirk user there that just fried them with a touch. I made Sensei promise not to bring it up in class, I wasn't sure how I was going to do. If I had passed then we would have surprised everyone with the announcement but since I didn't…." Izumi gave Sora a sympathetic glance and squeezed her friend's shoulder.

"Well… hey you passed the written exam and it sounds like you gave the practical a good shot. I mean it is U.A., if it was easy to get in then it wouldn't be number one would it? Where did this big desire to become a hero even come from anyways? I mean yeah everyone dreams about it but you've never said anything about going to U.A." Izumi was trying to comfort her friend but was having trouble wrapping her head around the situation. They honestly hadn't talked about what they wanted to do with their lives. Though thinking about it, Izumi could see how that might be her fault. Thinking about the future sounded like work, which Izumi did her best to avoid.

"I always wanted to be a hero. But it was like wanting to go to the moon, achievable in theory but practically impossible in reality. Only the best of the best can do it. But whenever it came up in conversation at the study groups, Izuku would always talk so passionately. He believes that heroes are made not born. He made me think that maybe I could actually make it work. A goal rather than a dream. But when I froze up against the robots I was so angry with myself. The second I got a hold of myself I… I went crazy and just started tearing through them. After the exam it hit me how I'd acted and I was so embarrassed. But it still wasn't enough to pass." Sora was biting her lip in frustration at this point. Izumi felt bad for her friend but looking behind Sora she could tell that this conversation was about to come to a close. Midoriya was coming over and he looked more confident than Izumi had ever seen him.

"Well even if you didn't get in, that doesn't explain why you won't talk with Midoriya. Speaking as your friend, you can't keep avoiding him. Especially since he thinks that you're scared of him or something." Sora took in a deep breath and calmed herself. She nodded to Izumi. Closing her eyes she kept talking, missing Izumi trying to interrupt her.

"Yeah, you're right. It's not fair to him and I wasn't trying to hurt him. I just had this stupid idea in my head. Making it into U.A., surprising everyone in the class, and then telling Izuku-kun how I felt about him. I made it into this big fantasy and I wound up turning everything into a mess. I mean now I've got to tell him, Oh hey Izuku-kun, sorry I've been avoiding you. I've just had a huge crush on you for like forever and I wasn't sure how to tell you. So I thought hey, I know, I'll just get into U.A. with you and when you congratulate me, I'll tell you how I feel and… and.. gods I'm so stupid. I mean how do you even tell someone, something like that?" Opening her eyes she saw Izumi with a sheepish look on her face. Giving an awkward laugh Izumi started scooting away from her friend.

"Weeeell you know Sora, probably just like that. Oh and I just want you to know that I love you and you're like my best friend in the world, and I promise I tried to get your attention." Izumi pointed behind Sora, and Sora felt a chill go down her spine. Turning ever so slowly she saw Izuku standing there, his face doing its best impersonation of a tomato. Izumi took the moment to vacate the premises, a quick good luck being shouted behind her. Meanwhile Izuku was struggling to do much more than sputter. Sora wasn't fairing much better though. Looking at the green haired boy, she cleared her throat but still succeeded in sounding much higher pitched than she normally did.

"M-midoriya-ku, I mean h-hello there. I don't suppose y-you heard all that huh?" A slow nod confirmed her fears. But Izuku seemed to be struck mute still.

"C-could we maybe go somewhere a b-bit more private?" Another nod and the two left to continue their conversation elsewhere.

Xxxx

Ultimately the two ended up on the roof, any other spots Sora had tried being occupied or watched over by a teacher. Sora wasn't sure if this made things easier or not. Izuku's face was still rather red but he looked like he was capable of speaking now. A moment of awkward silence and Sora figured she should speak first considering this was her idea. But Izuku beat her to it.

"Kamiya-san, i-is what you said true?" Sora gulped to herself still a little unsure of everything. But with Izuku here in front of her, looking just as nervous as she was it didn't feel so scary.

"Yes, it's true. I'm sorry Midoriya-san. I was kind of hoping that I wouldn't have to say anything and this would have just been an awkward memory for both of us." Sora looked away from Izuku, finding something fascinating near her shoes. This was an odd turnabout for Izuku, normally in these situations he was the one doing his best to not look the girl in the eyes. All those times Denki had forced him to approach girls wasn't for nothing it seemed.

"Kamiya-san, that's not fair. I thought you were upset with me and I couldn't figure out what I had done." Sora's face took on a pained look of guilt.

"I'm sorry. I really wasn't trying to hurt you, I was just angry with myself. I'd let things go on for so long without saying anything that I had decided to just not say anything. But then I came up with that plan, and I was banking everything on it. So when I didn't get into U.A. I wasn't sure what to do. I hope you can forgive me." Her face hung low, Sora could feel the tears stinging the corners of her eyes. A sniffle escaped her as she tried to hold everything in.

Now Izuku was out of his depth. A girl was crying in front of him and he didn't really have any idea what to do here. The only thing he had to go off of was his mother. So without any better ideas, and dredging up every ounce of bravery he could, Izuku moved to Sora and put an arm around her. He wasn't really mad, at least not anymore. He was honestly surprised that anyone could feel that way about him.

"Umm, Kamiya-san it's alright. I'm not mad, I mean I was but not anymore. I forgive you. I was confused as to why you were avoiding me. I'm really flattered that you feel that way about me. Is it really true that you tried to get into U.A.?" Sora moved the two slowly to a bench. Sitting down, Sora leant into Izuku. She realized she was taking advantage of his kindness but she knew how this was going to end.

"Yeah. I passed the written exam but failed the practical." With a cute girl cuddling into his shoulder, Izuku's brain was doing just about everything it could to focus on anything else. The topic of U.A. was a familiar one and safe ground in his mind.

"Well that's still pretty impressive. I mean U.A. is really tough to get into. I bet you aced the written exam, I mean you're always one of the top three when it comes to grades here." That familiar smile spread across his lips, when he looked down to Sora. Her cheeks pinkened a little, even when she gave a wet smile back.

"Y-yeah, they said that my grades were in the top twenty. I was so pleased with myself. To know I'd beaten out so many talented people to get that score. I'm sure a lot of them came from schools a lot better than ours. But then the letter said I didn't pass the practical and I started crying." Izuku could sympathize, he would've been crushed if he hadn't gotten in.

"I probably would have done the same, Kamiya-san. You shouldn't beat yourself up over it. It doesn't mean that you can't be a hero though. I mean did you apply to any of the other hero academies?" Sora gave a weak laugh, it was just like Izuku to try and look for a solution rather than giving the problem much thought.

"Yeah I did actually. I got into Ketsubutsu Academy, I'll be going there in the fall." Izuku's grin widened.

"That's awesome, see you can be a hero. I mean not all pro heroes come from U.A., I'm sure you'll do great." Even with a grin on Izuku's face, Sora was starting to sadden. They were dancing around the subject that they really needed to address.

"Yeah, thanks Midoriya-san. Umm, I know this all must seem kind of sudden to you but… Well you know how I feel about you. Could you maybe tell me how you feel about me?" Izuku froze, some part of him knew he couldn't delay the subject entirely but he'd done everything he could up to this point to avoid it. Now he couldn't stray away from it any further.

"I.. I don't know Kamiya-san. I mean, I think you're really smart and you have a cool quirk." Sora was looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. Izuku gulped before going on.

"A-and if I'm honest then I do think that you're really … c-cute." Sora's lips quirked upwards as Izuku struggled through his words for her sake. It was sweet but she knew there was a "but" coming.

"But I hadn't really thought of you like that. I mean it's not your fault, I just kept everyone at arm's reach out of habit. I was so used to doing so before I came to Junior High that I didn't really know how to connect with anyone. I wanted to be friends but I really didn't know how to go about it. So for me this is just so sudden, I hope that we can be friends. Maybe, maybe later we can try an – " His words had begun to mesh with one another for a moment and in a selfish move, Sora simultaneously ended his word torrent and almost stopped Izuku's heart.

Or at least that's how he would describe it, as her lips crashed into his. His eyes widening, Izuku's arms held the girl a little tighter. Otherwise his whole body was rigid. When she moved further into the kiss Izuku pushed back ever so slightly. The next second and his eyes closed, and he leaned into it. Teenage hormones completely overriding any thought process. For a few brief moments, Izuku was lost in a dopamine wonderland. And then Sora moaned and everything snapped into focus. His body froze up entirely and Sora stopped and looked up at him. Pulling apart, tears dropped to the ground as Sora stood from the bench.

"I'm s-so sorry, Izuku. I'll leave you alone n-now. Goodbye." Sora ran from the roof as quickly as she could. A stunned Izuku left in her wake who was only able to stare after her dumbly.

 _'What just happened?'_

Xxxx

When he finally came back to his senses, Izuku looked everywhere for Sora but he couldn't find her anywhere. It looked like she had already left the school grounds. The whole affair just left him rather despondent. He still wasn't sure what he should have done back there. Should he have stopped her before it went as far as it did or should he have just let it go on?

Walking home, Izuku felt exhausted. He just wanted to go home, eat dinner with his mother and do everything he could to put this behind him. He didn't have any of his peers' numbers, a consequence of maintaining distance. So he didn't have any way to contact Sora or even anyone that might have been able to get a hold of her for him. He'd spent years strengthening his mind and body but the only defense he'd made for this kind of pain, had been the attempt to prevent it in the first place.

His mother had been worried about him that night but Izuku promised he was alright. When she asked if she could help him, Izuku had only replied he was sad about missing out on a friend. Inko had dropped the matter after that and given her baby a hug.

Xxxx

Time passed by and Izuku worked to keep his mind off the incident with Sora. Thankfully between spending time with Denki and training with his quirk, Izuku was able to put it to the back of his mind. Time kept creeping forward and soon enough, the first day of U.A. was upon them. Denki stood at the doorway as Izuku prepared to leave. Denki's father had offered to drive the boys to school the first day so they got there on time. It was unlikely that Denki would be ready to go sooner than Izuku if that wasn't the case.

As Izuku was making his way to the door, Inko kept pestering him over whether he had this, that, or the other. Izuku took it all in good stride, even if that stride was being weaved between by Ichi. He knew his mother was just looking out for him like she'd always done. So even if the grin was a little exasperated, Izuku smiled at his mother as he assured her he was set to go, Denki standing in the doorway with a smile on his face.

"Yes, mom, I've got my notebooks. I promise you, I've had this bag packed for a week now. Don't worry, I'll be alright." Inko gave him a smile in return and went into hug him, which he was only too happy to return.

"Come on, Mom. I love you but I've got to go or I'll be late." Pulling back to look at him, pride filled Inko's face, as the infamous Midoriya tear ducts struck.

"Of course, I'm sorry. But I want you to know that I am so proud of you. You've worked so hard for this and you deserve to be where you are now. Good luck." Giving him a quick peck on the forehead she pulled him back for a brief tight hug before ushering him out the door.

Denki meanwhile had looked away from the heartfelt moment. Currently he was rubbing his eyes. When the two Midoriyas came closer he gave a wave. Ichi was quick to circle the blond two leg, the human was adapt at providing a warm nap place. It would certainly be beneath him to ignore the need of one of his favorite bipeds. Denki in turn bent down and scratched behind the cat's ears, still trying to hide the look on his face from Izuku and Inko.

"These bloody allergies always kill me this time of year, ya know? Anyways let's get this show on the road. Good to see you as always Ms. Midoriya." Denki turned to head out but was stopped as Inko grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you Kaminari-kun. Thank you for being such a good friend to my son." Pulling away she placed a similar kiss to his forehead before stepping back to look at the two boys.

Denki's face was bright red, and he was currently trying not to sniffle. Izuku wasn't much better with his recent heartfelt moment still fresh in his mind. Inko's own face had cleared of any waterworks and a bright smile was now all that was present. A moment of clarity struck her and she disappeared for a moment, much to the boys' confusion. When she came back she snapped several pictures of the two blushing, slightly teary eyed boys before they could even say a word.

"Hahaha, sorry boys. I just wanted to take some pictures of you before you went and became heroes on me." Izuku and Denki groaned at the thought of how those pictures were going to turn out. An act that only caused Inko to laugh at them again.

Waving them off the two were on their way to U.A., Inko couldn't wipe the grin off her face. Going back into the apartment she took a peaceful sigh.

"Alright Ichi, let's get you some breakfast and then I need to get to work." But when she actually searched for the cat, he was nowhere to be found. With a twitching eye, she sat down at the kitchen table, and let her head hit the wood.

"That blasted fuzz bucket."

Xxxx

Arriving at U.A., both boys were a little nervous as they stared at the gates before them. But it didn't take long before it changed to giddiness, and Denki was shoving Izuku forward. Laughter erupted from the both of them and soon they were racing through the halls to get to their class.

And then they were there. Class 1-A. Its enormous door blocked their way, even as they grinned with excitement at the prospect right in front of them. At least until they leaned closer and heard the voices on the other side.

"Take your feet off that desk, this instant!" Looking to one another Izuku and Denki's heads dropped.

"What's that extra?" If the first voice was exasperating then, for Izuku at least, the second voice was exhausting. He was honestly wondering if he could transfer to a different class. When he noticed the inquisitive look Denki was giving him, Izuku huffed. Denki hadn't ever actually met Bakugo, sure he'd come up in conversation but he'd never met the terror.

"That's Bakugo." Recognition lit in Denki's eyes.

"Shit, for real?" Izuku gave an affirmative nod before reaching for door, the argument inside carrying on. Denki stopped him at the last moment though.

"You sure man? I mean we could always see about getting a transfer to another class?" Taking a deep breath, Izuku shook his head.

"He'll still be here, and I'm not going to let him stop me. Bakugo hasn't ever managed to dissuade me from my goals and it won't start now." Denki smiled at his friend's confidence.

"Well, then I guess we better get in there. It sounds like things are escalating." While the boys had been busy with their discussion the inside of the classroom had gotten steadily louder.

The sound of a small explosion had them opening the door in a hurry, where the two were presented with an entertaining if somewhat volatile scene. On one side Bakugo was being held back by a boy with red spiky hair and what looked like tape coming from the elbows of a dark haired boy. On the other side of the room was the glasses wearing boy from the practical exam, he was being held back by a rather large boy with what looked like multiple limbs and some kind of strange shadow bird, projected from a boy with a bird's head. The spectacled, taller boy's glasses looked cracked and his shirt was in disarray.

When Denki and Izuku slammed open the door however, all eyes seemed to focus on them. Bakugo's narrowed, and he was quick to calm down. Shoving off the red head and burning off the tape he moved towards Izuku, but was stopped by the words of his previous opponent.

"Hold on just a moment, we're not done here! You tried to attack me!" Bakugo barely glanced at the boy before scoffing at him.

"Yeah. We **are** done. You think you're better than almost everyone in the room. I can see it in your eyes. But if you think you can order me around, or try and physically move me like you just did a second ago, and I'll blast you into next week. It'll make that little love tap you just got, look like a night light." Leaving his taller foe flabbergasted, Bakugo ignored him to approach Izuku.

"Well Deku, here we are. No more running, no more dodging, no more ducking me. We'll see who the best is and I can't wait to crush you." Bakugo's face had morphed from the disinterested disdain he'd held for his former opponent to one of anticipatory, if somewhat manic, glee as he came close to Izuku.

For Izuku's part he wasn't sure what the best course of action here was. This would likely set an impression with his peers for the rest of their time at school. But past experience had proven that if there was a sure fire way to raise Bakugo's ire it was to ignore him. And maybe deep down he was still looking for an outlet to forget Kamiya, but he figured it was better to bite the bullet than let things carry on.

"Hi to you too, Bakugo-san. I don't know about any of that, though. I would appreciate it if we could keep any property damage to a minimum, I'd like to avoid getting expelled. But you're right. Odds are we'll get to settle things here, but I'm aiming for the top, same as you. Good luck, Bakugo-san." Sticking out his hand, Izuku gave his typical soft smile. But there was nothing soft about his eyes as he stared down his junior high antagonist.

Bakugo was stunned for a moment. Izuku had never directly acknowledged any sort of rivalry between them. Heck even when Bakugo had called him out on it, Izuku had just given that smile and waved it off. But here he was now, looking Bakugo dead on and all but telling him to bring it. Stunned gave way to a form of frenzied energy and a grin that set everyone in the room's hair on end.

"Deku…. Where were you hiding that spine all this time?" His hand slapped into Izuku's and a little smoke raised from between their palms but neither boy lessened their grip.

The rest of the class had a number of reactions. Most seemed completely unbothered by the whole thing, such as a rather tall girl with her hair in a ponytail, a boy with bicolored red and white hair, a girl with long dark hair and large eyes, a large boy with short spiky black hair, and the two boys that were standing behind the bespectacled boy from before. Others were leaning away from what seemed to them a rather intense moment, a large boy who's head looked like a rock, a small boy with what looked like grapes on his head, and if one looked closely an invisible girl. Still others seemed to be caught up in the energy the boys gave out, such as the two that had previously been holding back Bakugo, and a girl with pink skin looked to be getting pumped up from the encounter. A dark haired girl with odd earlobes looked very unimpressed by it all and lastly there was…

"Ah, bonjour again Midoriya-san!" Looking over, Izuku saw Aoyama-san approaching with open arms. Izuku was completely unprepared for the brief hug, from the flamboyant young man.

"I wasn't able to thank you for what you did in the practical. I am in your debt mon amie. The way you destroyed that monstrosity was simply amazing though! Perhaps I would have done it with more beauty but still that was astounding. How did you do that?" Before Izuku could even respond though, the door opened again and there stood Uraraka. Spotting the two boys in front of her, Uraraka's face lit up in pleasant surprise.

"Midoriya-san! Aoyama-san! This is so great! I can't believe we're all in the same class together!" It was at this moment that the tall, glasses wearing boy from before cut in.

"Indeed, it does seem particularly fortuitous that we should all be in the same class. Midoriya-san, was it? I'm from Somei Private Academy. My name is Tenya Ida. It's nice to meet you officially." Uraraka, Aoyama, Izuku, and Denki introduced themselves in turn. But before a new conversation could start up, a voice spoke up from behind the students.

"If you're just here to make friends, then get out." Looking into the hallway the group spotted a scruffy looking man in a large yellow sleeping bag. The lot of them were all kind of shocked silent by the absurdity of the situation. With the exception of Izuku that is, who recognized the voice from his acceptance letter.

"Ahh I remember that voice, you're the one that dragged Present Mic away in my acceptance letter." Giving Izuku a droll once over, the man proceeded to drain a juice box before getting out of his sleeping bag.

"Nnn, yeah Mic can be a bit much. But that's not important, you lot are entirely without rationality. It's the first day and there's already a commotion in the class and burn marks on desks. Normally it takes until at least the middle of the semester before any damage is done to school property." Ida looked ready to step in and explain the situation but the man cut him off with a swift cut of his arm.

"I really could care less about your excuses, just make sure it doesn't happen again. Now I'm Shota Aizawa, your homeroom teacher. With that out of the way, follow me to the lockers." As their teacher left the room, the students were quick to follow behind him.

Xxx

With the entire class outside and in their gym clothes, they were all wondering what they were doing out here rather than attending the entrance ceremony. A concern that Uraraka was more than willing to voice her disappointment.

"Umm, Aizawa-sensei what about all of the stuff that's supposed to be scheduled for the first day, like the entrance ceremony?" Aizawa was quick to completely dismiss her concerns.

"None of that matters. U.A. is rather… well known for an educational system that enables its faculty free reign to teach as they please. There's no need to bother with any of that nonsense when we can get started on things right off the bat." Making sure that he had his students' attention, Aizawa carried on.

"Our country still has yet to come to terms with the facts. Quirks have fundamentally changed our world and how society operates. To even pretend otherwise is completely irrational. All of you have gone through schools up until now, never having used your quirks to influence any tests you may have taken." Tired eyes closing in on Bakugo, Aizawa called him out.

"Bakugo, you got the highest villain score out of everyone in the class. How far could you throw in middle school?"

"About sixty seven meters. Why?" Aizawa nodded to the nearby softball throw pitch and the ball sitting at its center.

"Try using your quirk, anything goes. Just stay in the circle." Bakugo nodded and cocked his arm back.

 **"DIE!"** The softball rocketed into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. Aizawa meanwhile was glancing at a handheld tablet.

"It's important to know your limits. It will be the first step in determining what kind of heroes you'll be." The device gave out a beep and Aizawa turned it to face his students, showing the distance the ball had traveled. Which served to shock the entire class.

 _'SEVEN-HUNDRED AND FIVE METERS!'_

"Holy crap, that's insane."

"This is awesome!"

"I can't wait!"

"Using our quirks as much as we want? This is what I'm talking about!" Aizawa looked rather unimpressed if not right out irritated by his class's excitement.

"Awesome, huh? You've got three years to become pros and you think treating this like a game is going to fly? Right. New plan, we're going to assess each of your quirks using the exercises that you would have participated in during middle school. The person who scores the lowest average between the tests will be **expelled**." Almost the entire class erupted into panic at that announcement, no one wanted to get sent home. Especially not on their first day. But for Aizawa, their panic seemed to be music to his ears as he pulled back his hair with a slightly sadistic look on his face.

"Quit your whining. You think this is unfair? Neither are natural disasters, madmen that test our borders, nor rampaging villains. You lot are aiming at becoming the shields that protect everyday society from the unfairness of the world. If you thought this was going to be easy, I'll happily run you all through the dirt. Welcome to U.A.'s hero course. Your fate is in my hands." A collective gulp went through the class as their teacher's demeanor became far more menacing than anything his students could have anticipated.

"So let's see that Plus Ultra!"

Xxx

The first test was the fifty meter dash. Ida blew everyone away with his insane speed and topped the charts. But Izuku and Denki put on good showings themselves.

When it came time to shine Izuku and Bakugo stood in their lanes, ready to go. When the shot went off, they both blasted forward. Izuku pushing his mag skates to the max and Bakugo lighting a trail of explosions behind him. Bakugo was the first to pass the finish line but Izuku was hot on his heels.

"Four point zero eight seconds!" Barely a moment later and Izuku came through.

"Four point fifty seconds!" Bakugo's shit eating grin showed as he looked over to Izuku.

"Heh looks like I'm in the lead. Better shape up Deku."

When Denki's turn came, he stood across from the girl with the odd earlobes. But of course this meant he was a little distracted.

"Hey there, I'm Denki Kaminari. What's your name?" The cursory glance the girl gave him, made it pretty apparent that she wasn't paying him much attention and she was quick to put her eyes back on the prize.

"Kyoka Jiro and unless you're interested in going home today I'd focus on the task at hand." The lights began to flash and Denki grinned.

"I'm not really worried about this one." Electricity danced across Denki's skin but went no farther, then it disappeared. Seemingly vanishing into his very skin. But his hair stood on end and when the shot fired he moved with insane speed.

"Three point seventy seconds." Kyoka was nowhere near as fast, coming in over three seconds later.

"Seven point zero two seconds." Catching her breath, Kyoka looked over to the blond boy nearby. She certainly hadn't expected that. He grinned down at the girl and offered her a hand. She shook her head and waved him off.

"I'm good. That was nuts though, what kind of quirk do you have?" Denki just winked at her wagging his finger at the girl.

"It's not so much my quirk as much as it a secret technique Izuku and I have been working on for a while now. Sorry but that's all I'm gonna say for now. Though if you want to talk later, I'd be happy to trade numbers." Kyoka rolled her eyes at him, smirking all the while.

"Keep dreaming, Pikachu."

Xxx

The rest of the challenges went rather smoothly. Denki and Midoriya never did take a number one spot amongst their peers but they were always in the top ten. There were several tests that they placed in the top three. With one exception, Izuku was able to take first in the sit ups given he just used his points to move himself without ever actually having to strain his muscles. Besides that, Izuku did manage to take second place in the long jump and Denki did the same in the side to side stepping. When they finally came back to the softball test Izuku was able to take third place just behind Bakugo with a distance of six hundred twenty one meters. Even if it did give him a nasty headache for his efforts.

When the whole class had finished with the tests, Aizawa presented a display showing the results of the test. Neither Izuku nor Denki were worried but they were eager to see where they stood in regards to their peers.

Momo Yaoyorozu

Shoto Todoroki

Izuku Midoriya

Katsuki Bakugo

Tenya Ida

Fumikage Tokoyami

Mezo Shoji

Mashirao Ojiro

Eijiro Kirishima

Denki Kaminari

Mina Ashido

Ochako Uraraka

Koji Koda

Rikido Sato

Tsuyu Asui

Yuga Aoyama

Hanta Sero

Kyoka Jiro

Toru Hagakure

Minoru Mineta

Denki and Izuku looked to one another grinning at their results, fist bumping one another in congratulations. The small grape boy, revealed to be Minoru Mineta, was lamenting his fate. Over with Bakugo his whole frame shook with rage. He knew that Izuku had been holding back all these years but he'd never known how much. When he'd beaten him in the dash after he'd blown everyone away with the softball toss, Bakugo thought he'd had it in the bag.

' _But that damn nerd managed to scrape by and beat me out of almost every other test.'_ Glaring at his green haired classmate, the boy in question noticed and looked over to see his old antagonist and the rage in his eyes. Izuku gave that same calm, soft smile that only served to infuriate Bakugo further. Fists clenched tight, he looked away and spit on the ground.

Aizawa let the results sink in, perhaps reveling in the dread of his students, before dismissing the display with a grin.

"Oh and that whole bit about expulsion was a lie. So stop crying Mineta." Most of the class let out a sigh of relief.

"Look hard at those results and remember where you stand. If you don't like it then work hard. Be warned there are literally dozens of kids in the general studies and support courses that would love nothing more than to take your place. And they'll have their opportunities if you show less drive than they do. So don't slack off." Now the entire class gulped and gave a collective affirmative.

"YES SIR!" In response Aizawa grunted.

"We're done here. Go back to the classroom and pick up your curriculum documents, make your introductions, and get ready for tomorrow. Things will only get harder from here on out."

Xxx

As Aizawa rounded the corner, he came face to face with All Might. Glancing up at the larger than life hero, Aizawa huffed.

"Do you need something All Might?" All Might gave one of his hearty laughs.

"Haha no, no but I am surprised Aizawa. I know full well that you expelled an entire class last year. So what makes this year so different?" Aizawa raised a brow at his colleague's curiosity.

"I'm not sure if it's any of your business, but last year's class was particularly unsuited to hero work. This year, well … they've got a way to go but they're cut from a different cloth. But if I'm honest there are a number of things that would have caused me far more trouble than its worth. Principal Nezu wasn't exactly pleased with my decision last year, even if he did back me up. On top of that I didn't have any students that got in on recommendations. If I expelled everyone this year, it would have looked really bad on U.A.'s vetting process." All Might had been nodding along with every reason given. But he still had a question that he wanted answered.

"Yes I suppose it wouldn't do to irritate Endeavor."

"Pfft I couldn't care less about him. I just don't feel like dealing with the amount of paperwork Nezu would drown me in if I dropped this class." The sweat drop on the back of All Might's head was a clear indication at the hero's complete incredulity at his colleague's drive to avoid aggravating their diminutive superior.

"Mmm, Principal Nezu can be a bit vindictive when upset. I have a question for you though. What do you think of young Midoriya?" Aizawa stopped to turn fully to face All Might.

"Oh? Playing favorites already are we?" All Might shook his head in denial.

"Not at all! I met the boy about a year ago when I saved him from a villain. He struck me as a particularly dedicated young man. I was interested in seeing if you thought the same, is all." The suspicious slant that Aizawa's eyes took, showed that he wasn't really buying it.

"Suure. But if you want my opinion, he's got a good head on his shoulders and great handle on his quirk. But if I'm honest there's something about the boy that strikes me as a bit detached and out of his depth. It reminded me a bit of the way a doctor treats their patients. Polite but not really caring. The only exceptions are Kaminari and Bakugo. People in our line of work are pretty quick to pick up on things like that. If it doesn't change, then he could run into problems down the road. Not like I'm one to talk though. That answer your question?" All Might gave a short nod as he contemplated the analysis given.

A short wave and the two parted. Even as he walked away All Might was trying to come to terms with whether or not Izuku's social tact would help or hinder him, should he become the successor for One for All.

 _'I suppose time may tell if that changes. Certainly I'm not the most social individual myself so maybe it's not even a bad thing. The only problem might be when I try and convince Nezu or Nighteye. But I'm not in that much of a rush yet._ _Still, grow strong young Midoriya. The world needs its Symbol of Peace and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up.'_

Xxx

The following day in class the students vaguely knew each other's names, if not anything else. Almost everyone had trouble remembering everyone's names. Though roll call certainly helped.

Speaking of which a lot of sails had their wind taken when the class was reminded that U.A. was just as much an academy as every other school. Most seemed to have forgotten that the hero classes were in addition to normal classes rather than straight out replacing them. For Izuku this wasn't a problem, he thrived in an academic setting, but for Denki it was proving to be a bit more of a challenge. His eyes drooping as the day went on into some subjects that he just had no love for.

But then the time came and a voice that was so familiar and yet so strange to hear in person, filled the homeroom class of 1-A.

 **"I have.. come through the door, like a normal person!"** A few people laughed but most were so star struck that the number one hero was teaching their class. A few were commenting on his outfit and talking amongst themselves excitedly.

"Welcome class! This is Hero Basic Training! Now there's no time to mess around, for today we'll be covering Battle Training!" Some of the class was getting even more amped up with that announcement, ready and eager to prove what they were made of. Meanwhile All Might pointed a remote to the side of the classroom and a series of panels slid out, holding numbered briefcases inside.

"But to do that you'll need these! Thanks to all the forms that you filled out before coming to U.A. the support companies were able to make… COSTUMES!" The whole class was stoked now as they started getting out of their seats and heading for their own cases.

"All right class, after you get changed, meet me at Ground Beta!"

"OKAY!"

Xxx

As he made his way down the hallway to the training ground, Izuku looked down at his costume and was so grateful that Denki had talked him out of his old one. His mother had even helped him design this one and they were really pleased with how it had turned out after they'd given the concept to the support company.

Black boots sat beneath white pants. Which came up to a black undershirt with white trim up the middle, a brown leather belt holding them. Above those was an open blue tunic with gold outer trim. On his forehead was a blue and gold headband. Finally there was a large cape that was blue on the outside and red on the inside and a pair of blue fingerless gloves. But what he was really pleased about were the pieces of plate armor that were scattered about his person. His knees, ankles, forearms, shoulders, chest and back all had these pieces of blue armor with gold trim. In total there were sixteen on his person.

 _'This is great. The color palette is the same as All Might's silver age costume so I still get to pay homage to him but all the time that Mom and I put into it really make it my own.'_ Looking over to Denki he could tell his friend was just as pleased with his own costume. A fact that Izuku was just as pleased with since he'd helped Denki come up with some improvements on the initial concept.

The costume still evoked an electrical vibe but it gave Denki some more options in what he could do with his quirk. Sandy colored boots had almost khaki colored pants tucked into them. A burnt orange belt wrapped around one of his thighs, where Denki's pair of metal rods lay, before making its way up to his waist where a yellow satchel was secured. A buttoned, high neck, black jacket covered him from the waist up and a burnt orange headband sat on his head. Lastly were the pair of thin copper treated vambraces that covered his forearms and the backs of his hands and the sleeveless dark red gloves.

Denki noticed Izuku looking and gave his buddy a thumbs up as they walked towards their first hero course.

 **A/N: Heh heh heh, so surprise. I'm not dead. I've just had a hell of a time lately, combined with a lack of muse and some well frankly unfair choices on my part. Some of them I really don't want to get into. I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. Please don't kill me!**

 **I hope to start updating again, though I'm not sure at the pace at which I can push them out. I went ahead and tidied up all of my previous chapters as I know some of them had typos and the like. Heck this one might have some as well. But I wanted to post it pretty badly.**

 **Also before I forget, I want to say that those costumes for Izuku and Denki are not original. I prefer finding things that I can provide something to give an actual physical image. But I am pretty pleased with both as they tie in well with what I wanted to give the boys in order to aid their quirks. For Izuku google Roy Fire Emblem Heroes, the first and third images should give you a good idea of what Izuku is wearing. For Denki google Volke FE, the fifth, sixth, and seventh images are what you're looking for, that is the ones where he is still wearing a jacket instead of the long coat and his face is uncovered. Neither of the boys have the weapons that Roy nor Volke are carrying though.**

 **Now I noticed that I never stated what Izuku's capabilities were when he entered the exam for U.A.. An oversight on my part but I guess it kind of worked out. That will be covered next chapter. I will say a couple things about the exam though. Firstly, the only, and I do mean ONLY reason, Izuku was able to fire off that three pointer was because Uraraka's quirk was being used on it. His quirk is reliant on weight and her quirk literally removes that from the equation. Still even with an effective weight of zero the effort of using his quirk on that object could have killed him. A brain aneurism is no joke and it certainly won't be something that Izuku tries again any time soon. But it was very effective, as every additional "set" of points that Izuku adds to the mag rifle technique doubles the power of the one before. To give you an idea of where Izuku is at, that three pointer robot was traveling at 1200 kilometers an hour or close to 745 mph. Also yes the mag rifle is based off the same concept as rail rifles, but those weapons take such an incredible amount of energy to use that getting any object to that kind of speed is simply beyond what Izuku can possibly do. Heck even with One for All the strain such an attempt would cause, would most certainly kill Izuku.**

 **That being said there's a somewhat different route that I plan to take with Izuku's quirk. I'll give you a hint with one word. If you can guess it then you are an anime champ as it's been a while since the show was popular. Scatter.**

 **Again I am really sorry about how long it's been since I last updated. Life just got in the way and I was having a rather rough time of it. It's a poor excuse but I hope you all can forgive me. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to seeing you next time.**


	10. Chapter 10

To Repel and Attract

Chapter 10: A Nose in the Air is Easily Bloodied

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to My Hero Academia**

 **XXX**

Walking out of the tunnel and adjusting his gloves, Bakugo looked over to the only competition he cared about; Deku. The nerd's friends were chatting with him and discussing their costumes. Eyes narrowing, the blond pyro scoffed and moved to the front of the class to catch what All Might had to say. He wasn't going to miss something because the nerd was sucking up the limelight.

' _If he wants to play buddy-buddy with people and let his skills dull then so be it. It'll be all that much easier to put him in his place. I'll make him take me seriously and when I'm at the top, it'll be that much sweeter.'_ A wry upturn at the corner of his lips accompanied his thoughts.

Xxx

When they'd come out of the tunnel, Denki had been positively giddy over their new costumes. Almost tackling his buddy, he threw an arm over Izuku's shoulder.

"Man isn't this awesome?! We look so sick! So what do you think? Eh, Sir Izuku?" Izuku laughed at his friend, the exuberance infectious.

"Yeah I guess we do. I'm really happy with how my costume turned out. Yours looks great too. Are the vambraces sturdy enough?" Denki gave a wicked grin and let his quirk flow throw through one of the pieces of armor. A low hum filled the air and electricity danced across its surface.

"Ooh, yeah! I am so ready to give these babies a try! Especially in front of all the cuties in our class. I know I didn't say anything yesterday but did we luck out or what?" Izuku gave an embarrassed chuckle. Well used to his friend's antics when it came to the fairer sex, he scratched the back of his head with an exasperated look.

"Umm, while that might be true Denki, maybe don't be so loud. You don't want to give anyone the wrong idea do you?" Denki slapped a hand over his mouth and glanced around to see if anyone had noticed his comment. Luckily for him everyone seemed pretty enamored with their own costumes. Izuku gave a low laugh at his friend's expense, who was quick to stick his tongue out at Izuku. Their conversation was interrupted though by Aoyama coming over.

"Ahh, Midoriya-san! It is excellent to see another student who shares my appreciation for classical beauty!" Both Izuku and Denki were completely caught off guard by the remark and neither was sure what he was talking about until they got a look at Aoyama's own costume. The boy in question carried on, lifting up his cape as he did and twirling, let it wave behind him in grandiose fashion.

"Indeed there is nothing so noble or elegant as a knight coming to save the day! Perhaps yours is not quite so beautiful as my own but it is easily more stunning than anyone else here." Izuku was honestly out of his depth and couldn't help but blush at the complement. Denki had turned his back to the conversation and had shoved his fist in his mouth to keep from laughing. An act that did not go unnoticed if Izuku's glare was anything to go by.

Ignoring his doofus of a friend for a moment though, Izuku turned back to Aoyama.

"Thank you, Aoyama-san. I really appreciate that. This costume of mine will really help out with my quirk. Your costume is really something else too." Aoyama flipped his hair back and shook his head, making a tsking sound as he did.

"Such formality, Midoriya-san. You saved my life; that alone should be enough for you to simply call me Aoyama. But now I also find a kindred spirit? Pshaw! Please it is simply Aoyama." Even with how over the top the boy in front of him was, Izuku could tell the gesture was heart felt. Letting his smile relax into one reserved for a precious few, Izuku acknowledged Aoyama.

"Sure thing, Aoyama. Then just call me Midoriya." An elaborate bow, and Aoyama was sparkling with a grin of his own.

"Oui monsieur, it would be my pleasure." Meanwhile Denki had finally gotten over his giggle fit and was happy to see his buddy making new friends. Deciding that he didn't want to be left out of the conversation, he put his own two cents in.

"Well just call me Kaminari then, I'm friends with Izuku. I'm not big on formality anyways." Giving Denki a once over, Aoyama let his nose rise a teensy bit.

"Hmm, well a proper knight does require a squire to look after his things. A pleasure, I suppose. You're loyalty to Midoriya is commendable, even if your style leaves something to be desired." The tables turned as Izuku was now chortling at his friend's expense, while Denki's eye twitched. A strained grin shook, as Denki did his best to resist throttling the fruitcake in front of him.

"Sq-quire? Uh hehehe, I think you've got the wrong idea, man." The snort that followed was indicative that Aoyama knew full well what he'd said.

"Hey guys!" The three boys were completely thrown for a loop, when Uraraka announced herself. Their preoccupation with their own conversation had allowed the girl to sneak up on them.

"Oh man those are some cool costumes!" The topic brought up again, the boys puffed up a tad. Even Izuku was feeling a little taller, cheeks warming or not.

With attention brought to costumes the boys looked over to Uraraka's, rather snug costume. Catching on, Uraraka gave a bashful look and rubbed the back of her head.

"Yeah, I know. I wish that I'd been more specific with my costume request form. This one's so tight. I'm not really sure it's my style." Aoyama gave her costume a more scrutinizing glance.

"Mmm, it doesn't leave much to the imagination, mademoiselle. But I believe that you make it work for you. It evokes a friendly and approachable demeanor befitting someone so willing to help others. Still I might put in to have it made a little flashier. Look at my cape for example! Isn't it beautiful?" Aoyama swished his sparkling purple cape to and fro in demonstration.

Denki shook his head at how full of himself Aoyama was. Izuku and Uraraka on the other hand were both red in the face from the blatant manner that Aoyama had pointed out her issue with the costume. She had danced around it but Aoyama had put it on display flat out. Which left Uraraka stumbling.

"W-well thank you Aoyama. I'll keep the u-umm advice in mind if I ever take it to get worked on." Aoyama gave a pert nod and a one eyed grin.

"Of course, my lady. If ever you need assistance let me know. I haven't forgotten my debt to you either." Denki rolled his eyes at the display and turned to the new introduction in their conversation.

"Hi there, we haven't really been introduced but you can call me Kaminari. Heard you helped my friend here during the entrance exam. Thanks for that." Arm thrown around Izuku's neck again, Denki grinned at Uraraka, despite Izuku's protests at his weight. It was enough to snap Uraraka out of it. She waved her hands rapidly in front of her face.

"No, no, no, it's not like that at all! During the exam Midoriya saved me and then when we passed Aoyama, I just lifted the robot off him. Midoriya was the one to blow up that monster robot! It was totally amazing! It was just like BOOM and then WOOSH and then the robot just gave out this awful screech noise! Then its head just exploded! Seriously Midoriya, I can't believe how strong you were." Stopping to catch her breath, Uraraka moved closer to examine Izuku's face. Denki gave an impish grin and moved out of the way to give the girl an unobstructed view. To Izuku's credit his face didn't turn _completely_ red.

"I-is there s-something wrong, Uraraka-san?"

"Just Uraraka, silly. You're face looks a lot better. We didn't really get to talk yesterday before you left. You weren't looking so good when All Might took you to the nurse's office. Oh and … I told Iida-san that what he said yesterday wasn't ok. He said he'd apologize." Touched by her concern, Izuku was able to reign in his blush.

"Y-yeah, all I had was a headache when I woke up. But I'm fine now, promise. And don't worry about Iida-san." Catching something behind Uraraka, he noticed the waggling of Denki's eyebrows which served to bring his blush back in full.

 _'Dang it, Denki. Don't mess with me!'_ Denki's smile only widened, when he noticed Izuku's flustered aggravation. But then Izuku was thrown for a loop when he noticed Aoyama. The wink and wave to carry on left Izuku flabbergasted.

 _'Not you too Aoyama!'_ Uraraka noticed Izuku's face and glanced over her shoulder, but the two boys were quick to cover their tracks, looking in opposite directions and whistling. Izuku took her moment of distraction to subtly shake a fist at the boys. But All Might spoke up, initiating his lesson and the group moved to listen to what they would be doing today.

Xxx

"Alright newbies! Gather round, it's time for battle training!" All Might stood in front of the class and waved them forwards. With the whole group gathered, he could start the class.

"Now then, who's ready to show me what you're made of?" A round of cheers broke out from the students. A few had further questions though, given what they'd had to deal with from Aizawa the previous day. Iida was the first to speak up.

"Sir will we be fighting robots again, like in the entrance exam?" Turning to the fully clad speedster, the memory of yesterday's introductions replayed in Izuku's mind.

 _Xxx_

 _Standing at the front of the class Iida was finishing his introduction. Turning to his classmates Iida began to share his thoughts on how introductions should be handled._

 _"Firstly everyone should provide their name and the school they came here from. If there is any other information you wish to share you should keep it short so as to not inconvenience classmates that have obligations outside of school. For the purposes of speed we should go by row and –"_

 _"Oh for fuck sake, shut up! Seriously let's get this over with already, I don't feel like sitting here and listening to some elitist, wannabe extra keep yapping on like he's in charge. So move on, and let someone else up there already." Bakugo obviously wasn't in the mood for this. Iida himself looked astounded._

 _"Such vulgar language! How on earth did someone like you get into U.A.? Surely everyone else here can see that I am just trying to move things along in a quick and orderly manner." Turning to the rest of the class, he was met with crickets for the most part as no one really wanted to get involved, but a few were certainly giving him impatient stares. Reading the mood, Iida's shoulders drooped as he slunk along back to his desk._

 _Standing up from his seat, Bakugo surprised everyone by going first. A number of them had been certain that he wasn't even going to contribute._

 _"My name is Bakugo Katsuki, I'm from Orudera. All you extras need to know is that by the time we graduate, I'll be number one." Without another word and amidst some booing, Bakugo left the class. When the door shut, Iida spoke up. Disdain evident in his voice._

 _"It figures that someone so uncouth would come from such a breeding ground for delinquents." A few classmates nodded in agreement, while others were put off by his words._

 _Orudera was rather infamous. While it was certainly not the worst school around, it was almost always in the top ten worst in terms of academic averages. To top it off, in the near one hundred years since U.A.'s founding, not a single student had been accepted into it from Orudera. Meanwhile Denki's eyes went a little wide as he looked over to Izuku._

 _For his part Izuku took the comment without balking. A slight narrowing of the eyes was his only immediate reaction. Taking a breath, he let his face slacken before standing up and moving to the front. Allowing his tried and true soft smile to leak over his features, he introduced himself._

 _"Good evening everyone, my name is Midoriya Izuku and I'm also from Orudera. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Iida and those that had agreed with his earlier comment froze. It was to complete silence that Izuku made his quiet departure. Denki glared at the perpetrators and walked up next._

 _"My name's Kaminari Denki and I'm from Saitama. As for my fun fact, Izuku is my best friend. Oh and it might interest you to know that one of those "delinquents" took first place in the entrance exam. Later." Denki rushed out to catch up with his friend, only to find him waiting just outside, a thoughtful look on his face._

 _"You didn't have to do that you know." Denki gave Izuku a melancholy smile, looped his arm over Izuku's shoulder, and started walking them towards the exit._

 _"Pfft, of course I did. Wingmen watch each other's backs."_

 _Xxx_

Izuku knew objectively that Iida wasn't a bad person, and that there was some truth to his comment. But he couldn't help but get defensive. Sure a number of his classmates from Orudera were a rougher bunch but none of them had been really bad people. At least not to him, in fact they were very careful to keep any unseemly habits or actions out of his sight. While he wasn't actually very close with any of them, Izuku's grades and amiable nature had made him an approachable option for his peers in need of assistance. As a side effect they would often share their thoughts and feelings with him. They might not have known Izuku, but it would be untrue to say he did not have a good judge of many of their own character. To Izuku, Iida's words had been a strike against all their memories, unknowing or not.

Lost in thought, Izuku missed much of the conversation between All Might and the rest of the class. He was broken from his reverie by a jab to the ribs from Denki. His friend's concerned look was waved off and Izuku focused back on the lesson.

It was still so amazing to Izuku that it was All Might teaching them. Sure he'd met the man before but it didn't in any way cheapen the experience. All Might was a mountain, towering over the entire class. He didn't just _seem_ larger than life, he actually **was**. Standing in the man's presence was like taking a deep breath of fresh air without ever having known you were drowning in the first place. And it dawned on Izuku just what he was actually aiming for.

 _'How does he do it? How am I supposed to get to there, from here? It's like looking at the ocean and thinking "Sure I'll swim that".'_ Doubts swirling in his head, he only barely heard the lesson's description.

The class would be divided into teams of two at random. The urban grounds behind them held a number of buildings with fake missiles in them. For the lesson, two teams would go against one another in fifteen minute long matches with one team representing the heroes and the other villains. The heroes needed to either secure the weapon or capture the villains within fifteen minutes and likewise the villains had to either protect the missile or capture the villains. Obviously the set up was designed to put pressure on the heroes, placing them in a disadvantageous position. Each team would be provided with a roll of capture tape, in order to "capture" other players, and a set of ear pieces to communicate with their teammates and All Might.

"Now then, let's get to it!" All Might's exclamation was followed up with cheers, as the students moved forward one at a time take a random letter from a box to see who their partners would be. When all was said and done, the classmates got together with their partners.

Team A: Sato and Hagakure

Team B: Koda and Kirishima

Team C: Tokoyami and Aoyama

Team D: Shoji and Mineta

Team E: Iida and Todoroki

Team F: Kaminari and Ashido

Team G: Uraraka and Yaoyorozu

Team H: Bakugo and Midoriya

Team I: Jiro and Ojiro

Team J: Asui and Sero

When Izuku saw who his partner was to be, his eyes snapped to his old elementary school antagonist. Likewise Bakugo's eyes had flashed with rage and maybe disappointment, before looking the other way and all but literally spat fire to the side. Izuku took a deep breath and just did his best to contain his own irritation.

 _'There's no doubt that Bakugo is one of the best here. But he's not going to be easy to work with. I think we were both planning on trying to show each other up here today. But now ….'_

Putting those thoughts aside for now he waited with the rest of the class for All Might to pull out the first teams to participate. A box stood to either side of him, one black and one white. The white for the hero team and the black for the villain team. Reaching into each he withdrew an orb in each hand, facing them towards his students he revealed Team C for the heroes and Team F for the villains. Meaning that Denki and Aoyama would be going up against each other first.

The two gave each other discerning looks, each doing their best to shake the other down, but of the two Izuku knew who he'd be putting his money on. Aoyama's quirk wasn't weak, but Denki had been training with him for years now. Denki had also mislead the class during the quirk apprehension test yesterday, giving them the impression that he held some kind of speed boosting quirk. Which was why when an impish grin sported itself on Denki's face as he was headed out the door to the testing ground, Izuku gave him a disapproving look. Keeping his voice low, he called after the walking taser.

"Denki, don't overdo it." For his part, Denki slapped his hand over his heart, faking pain and anguish.

"Oh, Izuku you, you got me right here man. Do you have so little faith in me, best friend of mine?" When he was answered with a deadpan stare, Denki let out a toned down cackle. The rest of the class, having missed their subtle conversation, leaned away from the disturbed looking blonde, young man.

Ashido, following after him, looked very uncertain as to what she'd gotten herself into. But as Denki moved further ahead she walked faster in order to catch up with him. As the two entered the building, Denki's amusement with Izuku wore off just enough to where he remembered he was walking with a cute girl his age. As they climbed the stairs to get to the top floor he spoke up.

"So Ashido, right? Sorry I didn't really get anyone's names yesterday since I … bolted and all that." He cringed towards the end. It wasn't that he regretted sticking up for Izuku but thinking about it now, Izuku might have been right about him being dramatic. Ashido looked up to the boy as they made their way up the stairs, recalling the incident in class yesterday her expression sobered.

"Yeah, Ashido Mina. And don't worry about it. What Iida said wasn't cool." Denki looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head and slapping his cheeks. Now at the top of the stairs he turned back to Ashido with his game face on.

"Anyways we've got bigger fish to fry." A grin returned to the pink hero in training, and she skipped up to beside Denki.

"Right! We've got to beat Sparkles and Mr. Crow!" Denki stopped midstep to crack up laughing, though Ashido wasn't quite sure why he was laughing.

"Ahh, Sparkles! You're alright Ashido. But I was actually talking about something even more serious." Finally arriving at the room with the fake missile, Denki's face turned unusually serious and eyes like flint caught Ashido off guard.

"W-what?"

"I seem to have lost my number, think I could have yours?"

…

…..

…

"PFFFFFFT! HAHAHAHAHAHA! OH MY GOD! HAHAHAHA!" Tears ran down Ashido's face as she howled. Gripping her sides, she bent while gasping for air. All the while a depressing cloud built over Denki's head as he sunk lower and lower. When Ashido was able to get her laughter under control she forced her head away from him. Just looking at him was proving to be too much for her.

"Oooooh that was too good. Seriously that was sooo _bad_. And your face, pfff, it made it even better." Finally back up on her feet she spotted a now pitiful Denki, drawing circles on the ground in the corner. Rolling her eyes to herself, her almost ever present smile resumed itself. Coming up behind him, she patted him on the head.

"Don't get down, who knows maybe that'll actually work on someone one day. You know, someone desperate." The cloud of depression collapsed on Denki's head like an anvil, the ground coming to his face. Ashido chuckled to herself at her partner's dismay.

Any further teasing was postponed when All Might's voice spoke up from the com pieces in their ears.

"Team F are you in position?" Ashido put her hand to the com piece and responded, while Denki picked himself up.

"Yes Sensei, we're both here."

"Good, good. You'll have fifteen minutes to set up and strategize before the other team is allowed to enter. Use it wisely."

"Yes, Sensei!" Both students responded into their ear pieces.

Xxx

Back in the observation room, the other students watched with All Might. Ashido and Denki looked to be in discussion but they weren't actually doing anything. Meanwhile outside the building, Tokoyami was trying to engage Aoyama in conversation without much success. Uraraka had sidled up to Izuku to watch the bout.

"So Midoriya, who do you think is going to win?" Izuku looked over to acknowledge the girl before turning his eyes back to the fight.

"I don't really know enough about Tokoyami's or Ashido's quirks to make a definitive call. But based on what I've seen of Aoyama's quirk, I'm leaning more towards Denki. In an enclosed space like that building, there just isn't enough room to avoid his quirk." Uraraka looked in puzzlement to her classmate.

"I thought that he had some kind of speed quirk?" Izuku shook his head.

"I know that he showed off yesterday, but it's actually really dangerous for him to do that too much. If he pulls that stunt here, he might lose." Uraraka hummed over his answer, a finger to her chin in ponder.

"But if his quirk isn't super speed then what is it?" Izuku answered with that patented grin of his.

"You'll just have to wait and see. I can't give out all of my friend's secrets."

Uraraka dropped the line of questioning, though her cheeks puffed out in childish disappointment. As they were going back to look at the screen, the class as a whole was distracted by the opening of the doors behind them. Glancing backwards Izuku was caught completely off guard by an unexpected guest sauntering up to him.

"Ichi? What are you doing here?" The black cat rubbed up against Izuku's leg and purred in satisfaction.

Izuku, and the rest of the class, looked down at Ichi in puzzlement, and some cooing from a few. But further pondering was stopped when another individual came through the doors. One that drew a much more pronounced response from All Might of all people.

"Principal Nezu sir!" A rapid bow to the well dressed, small, white furred, mouse… dog… bear caused the rest of the class to go wide eyed and follow the pro hero's example. Nezu merely waved them off, smiling as always.

"That's me! No need for all that now. I was merely on a walk with my new friend Ichi here. Yesterday he seemed content enough to lounge in my office with me but it seems he wanted to visit Midoriya-san today." Izuku and Uraraka had crouched down to give Ichi the attention he had been seeking, but when he heard his pet had been disturbing the principal he became mortified.

"I am so sorry Nezu-sensei! If I had known, I of course would have stopped him. He just has a tendency to go wherever he wants and – " Nezu raised his hand to stop the tirade coming from the young man.

"Now, now, he has been no trouble at all. Indeed it's been a rare treat to spend time with someone like myself. It is, after all, so rare to meet another animal with a quirk. Ichi has been very pleasant company." Ichi, who had been irritated with the momentary lack of attention, looked up at Izuku appearing all too pleased with the endorsement from the Principal.

Izuku could only sigh in exasperation at the feline's demeanor. Uraraka stood to the side, covering her mouth to try and stifle her giggles at the whole thing. Ichi noticed her though, and upon spying a potential new two leg to acquire, decided to work his magic. Walking idly over to the girl he purred and rubbed around her legs, being sure to let his eyes shine big and wide up at her as he did so.

Unprepared for the cat's manipulations, Uraraka fell right into the trap. Reaching down she scooped him up and cuddled him to her. Stroking his fur, and doting upon him. Jiro and Koda made their way over to closer examine and coo, or in Jiro's case try not to coo, over the black cat.

"Awwww he's so cute Midoriya!" Uraraka almost squealed. Izuku's put-out face betrayed his thoughts while looking at his four legged friend. Ichi merely returned his gaze with what Izuku knew to be an overly pleased look. The principal laughed to himself over the whole interaction.

"Hahaha what a little charmer. He accompanied me to the staff lounge at lunch today and I think he has most of them wrapped around his little paws." Walking towards All Might, Nezu clambered up the large man to sit on his shoulder and gain a better view.

"Now I believe I've disrupted your class enough All Might. Let us check in on your two students." The class as one turned back to the screen having totally forgotten about the bout between their classmates in the arrival of the principal and Ichi.

The fifteen minutes of prep time were almost up and it looked like both teams were having some trouble. Tokoyami looked to be struggling to carry on any conversation with his teammate at all, while Ashido and Denki looked to be in the middle of the argument. All Might decided to remind the students that they were on the clock.

"Alright teams, you have about thirty seconds. Get to your positions!"

Xxx

Ashido huffed, both at the announcement and her partner.

"This plan makes no sense! We're supposed to be a team. If you're going out there then so should I." Denki ran his hands through his hair in aggravation.

"Because our quirks don't work together. More importantly my quirk doesn't work with most people in general. Look I'm not a genius like Izuku, but he's beaten some sense of strategy into my head. My quirk discharges electricity everywhere. There's no option to turn off friendly fire." Ashido's eyes narrowed and she poked her finger out at him angrily.

"That's not what it did yesterday. All I saw was you using super speed. Why can't you just do that today? You better not be lying to me so you can be a glory hog." The sound of the timer going off interrupted their discussion and All Might's voice rung out.

"Alright teams! It's time to get started!" Denki looked back to Ashido as he rushed towards the door.

"Look I don't have time to explain, but I can't use that part of my quirk for very long. I promise I'm not lying. Just trust me alright. I'll keep you in the loop on the ear piece so just be ready to blast anything that comes in the room." Ashido reached after him in frustration.

"Hey wait a sec!" But Denki had already vanished down the stairs. Gritting her teeth she stomped her foot and paced the room. In her head though, Ashido was coming up with all the ways she'd make Denki pay for ignoring her. Unknowing that the other team was dealing with similar issues.

Xxx

"Aoyama-san we really need to come up with a plan. If you would just hold on for a moment I think I know how to beat them." Tokoyami tried to stop his more flamboyant partner. Aoyama continued his way on though, moving up the stairs to the floor above.

"Ahh my good feathered sir, we don't need to worry about that. Not when that fool Kaminari is on their team. That speed of his won't be a problem in a building, certainly not to me. All you need to do is watch out for Ashido-san." Tokoyami glared at his partner from behind.

"We can't assume anything about either of their quirks. You barely have any clue what mine is capable of. If we jump to conclusions based purely on what little we saw yesterday then we'll be caught flat footed when they use their quirks to their full potential." Aoyama laughed at his partner's concerns as they came to a break in the stairs.

It appeared the stairs in the building had been purposely destroyed at varying intervals to ensure the participants couldn't simply climb a single set of stairs straight to the top. Leaving the stairwell they were in, the two went to find another way up.

"You worry too much. My brilliance will outshine all that can be thrown at us." The obnoxious shine coming from Aoyama had Tokoyami hiding his shadow from the glare. Rolling his eyes, he continued to follow the armor clad fool ahead of him.

As Aoyama opened the doorway to a new stairwell the two came face to face with one of their opponents. Denki stood there, halfway down the steps to the door they had just opened. For a moment the three of them stood still, staring at each other in mute shock. Then Denki's face split with a grin and all those hours with his father came back in a rush.

"Show time. CQC!" One leap later and Denki had grabbed the top of the door frame, and slammed his feet into Aoyama's chest. Sending him flying back into Tokoyami. Twisting, Denki landed on his feet with his quirk flaring down to vambraces on his arms.

With that the fight was on.

Xxx

Back in the observation room the rest of the class looked on with interest and various amounts of incredulity. Kirishima was the first to speak up.

"Oh yeah! Now that was manly! I didn't think Kaminari had it in him." Several of the others murmured words of agreement while looking on. Uraraka meanwhile had turned to Izuku to see her new friend smiling.

"Where did Kaminari learn to do that?" Glancing her way for a moment, Izuku turned back to the screen as he watched his friend.

"His Dad is a police officer, and a former SAT operator. He's given Denki some lessons here and there. Honestly if we're not using our quirks, then Denki will beat me in a spar more often than not. I can tell you first hand that those batons of his are not for show."

Xxx

With his opponents on the ground, Denki reached for his two batons. Letting the weight of the weapons settle into his palms, he twirled them about, adjusting his grip. The hum of his quirk filled the air. The hum continued to grow more and more ominous. Tokoyami and Aoyama tried to untangle themselves and rise to their feet. But Denki's words gave them pause.

"So to save you guys some 'lovely' shock treatment, I'll give you two options. Option A, you try and get up and attack me, and I light you up like Christmas trees. Or option B you surrender and save yourselves a lot of unnecessary twitching while you wait for Recovery Girl." His words were cocky and accompanied by a grin that rankled the other two. Aoyama in particular was unwilling to comply.

"Or I could do this!" From one of his knee caps Aoyama fired a laser at Denki.

Denki flattened himself against the door frame to try and dodge the attack but there wasn't much room to maneuver and he still felt the sting of the beam as it blazed against his side. Stumbling back into the stairway he'd come from, the door closing after him, Denki was stalled just long enough for the other two to get to their feet.

"Ha! And you thought that we should worry Tokoyami-san." On the other side of the door the ominous humming had surged into a crescendo and Denki's voice called out.

"No he was right. You should have been worried."

"Aoyama-san move!" But Tokoyami was too late.

Arcs of electricity came from behind the door. The surge traveled up their legs, rooting them to the spot. A moment later and both boys dropped to the floor. Denki opened the door to look at his handiwork. Reaching down he wrapped the capture tape around Aoyama's wrist. On the other end of his ear piece he could hear All Might confirming the boy's defeat. But when he moved to Tokoyami, Denki knew something was off. He was proven right as a great force smashed into his side sending him flying down a hallway.

"That was rather close Kaminari-san. I suspect that had Aoyama-san not been standing in front of me, I would not still be standing. Now let's see how long you can keep grinning against Dark Shadow." Looking back to the now standing Tokoyami, he could see the boy's shadow quirk looming over his shoulder.

Without another word the beast flew forwards to assault Denki again. Rolling to the side Denki let his quirk travel through his hands to his batons, lashing out as the shade passed over. The shroud screeched and pulled away from the bright shock treatment. His hands slick with sweat, he stood, haggard but ready for whatever Tokoyami might throw at him.

Xxx

"He was talking big a second ago. But Pikachu's not looking so good now." Jiro's comment drew some idle nods as the class and two educators watched on.

Uraraka was watching with intense focus, hoping her new friend would be alright. Noticing her concern, Izuku spoke up beside her.

"It's alright. Denki's not out yet." Snapping out of her concentration, Uraraka looked in askance to the curly haired boy.

"But after that one attack he looks ready to drop. I thought you said if he didn't go all out he wouldn't beat them." Izuku shook his head.

"Mm mmm, I said that if he did what he did yesterday then he'd lose. What he did yesterday was essentially improve and speed up the electrical signals the body uses for motor functions. But it's dangerous for him to use his quirk like that. If he uses it too long it could burn him from the inside out. For the longest time his go to tactic was to just let loose and fry anything in range. But it leaves him open if he uses it to much. Pushing out that kind force is rather taxing. But just generating a current across his skin or those batons of his? He can do that for hours." Pondering his words for a moment Uraraka looked back to the screen.

"So do you think he'll win here?" Izuku narrowed his eyes at the image of the two boys facing off but movement on one of the other screens caught his eye. A smile crossed his lips when he noticed its intentions.

"He didn't take into account that armor of Aoyama's, it basically turned Aoyama into a lightning rod and spared Tokoyami the full force. So I think that Denki might have trouble here. But his team will still win, he is only half the team after all." Following his line of sight Uraraka spotted what he was looking at and grew a rather bewildered if impressed expression.

Xxx

Tokoyami's Dark Shadow rushed forwards, intent on either causing as much damage as it could or capturing Denki. Forcing Denki back time and again. It was all Denki could do to just keep dodging. While he'd certainly spent a lot of time training his quirk, he was still left sluggish after using it. But at least he was still cognizant. Which was the only reason he hadn't been captured yet.

Smacking another swipe from the Shadow to the side, Denki let his baton slam into the beast's head. Electricity dancing from the weapon to the Shadow, caused the creature to shriek in pain. But even as it screamed in pain it managed to bring a fist into solid contact with Denki's chin, knocking the boy straight back towards an empty window. His back slammed into its edge, head leaning out for a second before Denki orientated himself and dived to the side, dodging a follow up swipe from Dark Shadow.

Their fight had taken them to one of the window lined outer halls of the building at this point. Tokoyami had made several attempts to fall back towards the stairs but Denki would just chase after him. Getting trapped between two opponents was not an ideal situation, one that Tokoyami planned to avoid. Which ultimately lead to this stalemate. Denki being Denki though, couldn't really keep his mouth shut; even if he was out of breath.

"So do you sew him onto your feet every morning or does the soap trick work?" Tokoyami paused in question for a moment before realization dawned on him and responded in dry disbelieving fashion.

"A Peter Pan reference? Really?" Shrugging his shoulders, Denki caught his breath and gave a cheeky smirk.

"Hey got to work with what I'm given. Besides I just need to stall you." Tokoyami narrowed his eyes in aggravation.

"Dark Shadow. Morpheus is calling for this fool, help him along would you?" Grinning to itself Dark Shadow dove after its opponent.

Denki jumped back farther and farther, as the Shadow continued its attempts to throttle him. As it did Tokoyami followed, which ended up bringing him next to the windows as well. About halfway down the hall Denki's attitude changed and he started pressing back. Clashing with Dark Shadow, the two were locked. Batons and claws pressing against one another.

"Now Ashido!" Denki's cry confused Tokoyami for a moment before a shadow fell on him coming from outside the window Denki's head had leaned out earlier.

"Surprise sucka!" Ashido's form fell from above Tokoyami, strong legs sending the feather headed boy to the ground.

It was over in an instant. Pinning Tokoyami to the floor, Ashido whipped out her capture tape and slung it around one of Tokoyami's wrists. A moment later and All Might's voice called out.

"Tokoyami has been captured! Team F wins!" Horns sounded outside the building as Denki let himself sit down with a smile on his face and Ashido jumped to her feet cheering to herself.

Xxx

"Holy crap! That girl has got guts! I mean seriously, melting handholds into the side of the building to work her way down?" Sero spoke up in incredulity at Ashido's feat. He wasn't alone in his appraisal either. Kirishima too weighed in with his two cents.

"Oh hells yeah, Ashido has always been super manly!" A number of cocked brows met the redhead's particular choice of vocabulary. Mineta's face actually looked ashen.

"WHAT?! There's no way Ashido is a dude not with those big freaking boo-" A swift swipe to the side of his head from Asui's flail-like tongue cut off the grape headed boy. Kirishima wasn't sure what Mineta was talking about.

"What? No, Ashido's a girl. But there's nothing that says girls can't be manly too." A floating hand placed itself on his shoulder and a disembodied voice from Hagakure spoke up beside him.

"And that's totally awesome that you feel that way Kirishima. But maybe be careful about who and where you say it to. You might make someone upset. Just a thought." The blinking of his eyes and the tilt of his head indicated that the suggestions intentions may have been lost on him.

Both teams, minus Aoyama, returned to the observation room to the congratulations and applause of their fellows and teachers. Aoyama for his part was being sent to see Recovery Girl, carried by a pair of robots on a stretcher between them. Denki walked over to join Izuku while Ashido was engaged by Hagakure's praises. Izuku smiled at his friend and bumped his fist in congratulations.

"You did better than I thought you would Denki, congratulations!" Izuku's smile was genuine and Denki appreciated it. To the side though Uraraka wondered at the change in his smile from those he had displayed earlier.

"Hey! Come on, how could you ever doubt me?" Izuku put a finger to his chin in faux contemplation before answering in a teasing fashion while counting off his fingers at his friend's expense.

"Well going off with only half a plan, the desire to one up Aoyama, oh and the fact that you were on a team with a girl. I'm honestly impressed you managed to keep your head in the game with that last one. Though to be fair if Ashido hadn't saved your butt, it could have gone either way for your team." Denki face planted into the ground before looking up at his friend with teary eyes.

"That's so mean man." Uraraka stood nearby giggling to herself with Ichi in her arms.

The feline having spotted his blond two leg, hopped down. Coming over to Denki he rubbed up against the distraught boy. Picking Ichi up, Denki rubbed his cheek against Ichi's own in exaggerated gratitude.

"Only Ichi believes in me." Izuku rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatic antics. Uraraka spoke up through her giggles.

"But Midoriya, you said you believed in Kaminari at the start of the match." Denki's eyes shined and he was quick to pull Izuku into a hug.

"Aww, I knew you'd never give up on me." Izuku struggled to release himself from Denki's grip, even while he laughed.

"Get off Denki." Their celebrating was interrupted when All Might called out to the class.

Their teacher stood their grinning proudly. Principal Nezu had moved to his shoulder at some point and was smiling at the lot of them as well.

"Well now, that was a good showing for the first match. But we have four more to get to so without further ado, would teams B and J head to their building please." A hand raised in askance.

"Yes, Yaoyorozu? What can I help you with?" Taking her hand down, Yaoyorozu stepped forward.

"Sensei, shouldn't we discuss the previous match before moving onto the next? So as to keep the events fresh in mind and better form accurate criticisms I mean." No disrespect was evident in her tone, only sincere curiosity. Surprisingly it was Nezu and not All Might that answered.

"An excellent question dear. But sadly there are only so many hours in the day. Between the fifteen minutes for the villains to set up and fifteen minutes for the match itself, they will take two and a half hours to complete. Adding to that is the short time it takes for those teams to get to and from the observation room." Allowing his words to sink in for a moment, Nezu subtly tapped All Might to let him know to take over. Coughing into his hand All Might took the hint.

"R-right! Each of these matches is being recorded so that we can hand you all copies at the end. All of you will need to analyze what you see, then write a small report on each match detailing what could have been done better by each team. Those will be due next week."

Taking in her teachers' words, Yaoyorozu gave a short bow.

"Thank you for your explanation Senseis, I will look forward to the assignment."

Giving the girl a thumbs up and a smile, All Might was sure to keep his own thoughts to himself.

 _'Good thing Principal Nezu was here, or else I would have totally forgotten about that. I can't help getting caught up in the moment some times. These kids have so much potential!'_

Letting his eyes slide over to a particular moss headed student, All Might's eyes shined in contemplation.

 _'Both of your opponents were raised amongst pros. I'm eager to see how you do against two adversaries of such caliber, young Midoriya.'_

 **Xxx**

 **A/N: ….. Umm Hi. My muse has been dead for a while. But I wanted to put this out so I could try and get some traction in my writing again. I also went ahead and scanned through my previous chapters to try and touch up any errors I could find. On a more important note I wanted to sincerely thank everyone for all your reviews, follows, and faves. Seriously thank you all.**


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